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I
Jftarbarli CoUese librarg
BOUGHT WtTH INCOMB
HENRY LILLIE PIERCE
OF BOSTON
9
« »
TEXT-BOOK
•'r
SEAMANSHIP
THE EQUIPPING AND HANDLING
y
V i: s s \i L s
Under Sail or Steam
rxiTF.D States Naval Acapemy
Rear Admiral S. B, LUCE, l\ S. N.
Lii:rTi:NANF \v" S. lU^XSoX, I'. S. X
LiKUTiNANi s. >KAi;rkv, r. s. x
NEW YORK:
D. VAN 1S30STRAND CO
23 Murray and 27 Wakki x Sikkkt
I vav vjwontjk
AfomySSK. ? S
r.:
, v-< ». • t V 1
L
BOUND OCI if i9l3
Copyright^ 1884^ by D. Van Nostrand,
Copyrif^ht, iSgS^ by D, Van Nosirand C0,
J. K. * K. B. SMITH,
•uccaMom TO
SMITH ft MODOUGAL,
Preface to the Fourth Edition.
A NEW edition of Seamanship having been called for,
-*^^ the work of revising the late edition and preparing
the present one for the press, was undertaken by Lieutenant
W. S. Benson, U. S. N. , Assistant Instructor in the Depart-
ment of Seamanship, Naval Academy, Annapolis, under the
general supervision of Commander Charles M. Thomas,
U. S. N., the very able head of that Department.
Lieutenant Benson's labors have been attended with
marked success, notwithstanding the distractions due to
the breaking out of the war with Spain.
It is hoped the work, in its present form, may x>rove ac-
ceptable to those for whom it is intended.
S. B. LUCE.
Bear-AdiinniL l\ S. X.
Newport, R. I., ) (retired.)
August 5th, ISUS. S
/
Revisers Note to the Edition of 1884.
/^ RATEFUL acknowledgments are due to those whose
^-^ contributions to the text have enhanced the value
of this work.
Commander F. V. McNair has permitted the use of his
pamphlet on Seamanship Drills.
The chapter on the Laws of Storms is taken principally
from the lecture of Lieutenant-Commander Thomas Nelson,
Vol. V, Proceedings U. S. Xaval Institute.
Chapter XIX. is i)ractically a reprint of Lieutenant D.
Delehanty's pamphlet : *' Cadet Midshipman's Manual."
Chapter XXXV. has been prepared from notes furnished
by Lieutenant-Commander Z. L. Tanner, together with
data from the lectures of Constructor R. H. White, R. N.,
and from the professional pamphlets of the German Ad-
miralty on steamers and screw propulsion.
The suggestions made by Boatswain Robert Anderson,
U. S. N., have been of special importance. Getting a lower
yard on board, sending down a lower yard inside of rigging,
rigging derricks, and carrying out anchors between two
cutters in shoal water, are described from actual work per-
formed under his direction.
To Commander Taylor, Lieutenants Berry, Nazro, and
Holman, U. S. N"., and to many other officers, sincere thanks
are tendered for their assistance and suggestions in the
revision of the proofs. AARON WARD,
Lieutenant, U, S, X.
REVISER'S NOTE.
TN the present revision the attempt has been made to
-*- eliminate obsolete matter and to introduce as much
new material as the limited time would permit. The
general arrangement has remained unchanged.
The chapter on storms has been compiled by Mr. R. L.
Lerch, under direction of the Hydrographer of the Navy
Department.
The descriptions and plates of sounding machines,
patent logs, marine sentry, &c., have been taken from the
various pamphlets on those subjects.
Description and plates of steam capstan were obtained
from the Bath Iron Works, and those of steam steering
gear from the Williamson Brothers.
The chapter on organization is omitted, as no estab-
lished system has as yet received oflBcial approval.
W. S. BENSON,
Lieiitenant, ?". S. X
IT. S. H. S. Vermont, )
Xew York, Sept. 27, 1898. )
CONTENTS.
CBArrBR PAOS
I. — The Ship — Definitions 1- 12
II.— The Compass— The Lead— The Log 18-23
III.— Ron: 24-82
IV.— Knotting, Splicino, etc 33- 49
v.— Bum Ks 50-54
VL— Tackles 55-62
VI L — Masts and Yards — Rudder — Mastino 63- 78
VIIL— Standing Rigging 74- 85
IX.— RiocjiNG Ship H6-130
X.— Sails 131-143
XI. — Purchasing Weights 144-155
XI I. — Stowage and Sources op Supply 156-162
XIII.— Boats 168-198
XIV.— Ground-Tackle 194-219
XV. — Capstan — Steam Windijiss — Steering Gear 220-224
XVI, — Mooring — Clearing Hawse 225-232
XVII. — Carrying out Anchors by Boats 233-239
XVIII. — Port Drills with Sails and Spars, and Miscellaneous
Port Kvolutions 240-272
XIX. — International Regulations for Preventing Collisions
AT Sea 27:^285
XX. — Getting Under Way and Anchoring Under Sail 286-298
XXI.— The Deck- Making and Taking in Sail 299-814
XXII.— Working to Windward 815-881
XXlll.— Wind Baffling 832-888
XXIV. — Two or more Vessels Communicating at Sea — Heaving to
— Filling Away — Squalls — Man Overboard — Sounding 889-848
XXV. — Reefi.vg -Turning Out Reefs 849-855
XXVI.— The Weather— Law of Storms 856-8T4
XXVII. — In a Gale — Scudding — Lying-to — Rudder gone — Cut-
ting AWAY Masts — Use of Oil 875-888
XXVI 1 1. — Parting Rigging — Shifting Spars, etc 8S9-8t>7
Vin CONTEXTS.
CHAITEH I'AtiK
X\IX.— II ANDiJxr. FoRK-AND- Afters 39iS-407
XXX. — ILxXDLixo Vksskls rxDKR Stkam 40S-4H9
XXXI. — (1i:ttix({ ox Shork — Lkakixcs — IIkavixo Down .. 440-44Sf
XXX 1 1. — UxiTEi) JStates Life-Savix(i Service 450-459
APPENDIX.
A. — I{()PE-MAKix(i — Table of Dimexskins of Rope 4()l-40({
15. — ClTTIXU AXI) FlTTIXC Ul/M'K STRAPS 4()T-4(kS
(\ — TiRXixc IX Old-fasiiioxei) Dkadeyks — Ui'LEs FOR Size of
SiiKorns 4(J1I-472
I).— Stavix(j Masts hy Use of Battens 472-47;J
K. — Tables of Flax axd Cottox (*anvas 478-474
F. — Maxa<jemext of ()i*ex Hoats ix SiRF 474-47({
G. — Hoi'TiNE — Preparin(5 Siiip FOR Sea 477-4SI
]1.__Tarrix(J Down— S(RAPL\(i Spars— Talntino Ship, etc 481-48:>
I. _1n a Tideway Txiier Saii 4H;{-4,Sr)
K. — Tenimn<j Ship at Anchor — Fire Booms 4S5-4S9
L. TiRNixo Kxperiments — Methods of Determining Tactical
Diameters 49(U")07
]\I. — Taxnkh SorxDiNo Machine 508-500
X. —Ship's Papers 5(H)-510
(),_TeRMS I'SED IX SHIPBriLI)IN(i 51 1-54*2
'» .. «« Naval Architectcre 548-555
P._Servi( E BrcLE Calls 556-5(58
Index ^^59-579
T
ir^ p
mu.
if'i
:M
CHAPTER I .
THE SHIP.
6ENKBAL REMARKS ON THE HULL, SPAK8, AND SAILS. — DEFINITIONS.
Ships are usually built on stocks and launched on ways,
which are inclined planes leading to the water's edge.
Sometimes vessels are built in docks, which are artificial
basins with level floors, shut off from outside waters by
gates, or by a single dam. known as a caisson. These gates
are water-tight and can be opened or closed ; the dock is
supplied with means for pumping out the water, or letting it
in. Tlie following is an outline of tlie principal parts of the
hull of a wooden ship.
The lowest fore and aft piece which forms the founda-
tion of a ship is called the keel (Plate I, No. 1). It is of
live-oak, or elm, and made of several pieces, the joints of
which are known as scarphs.
To receive the edge ot the first row, or strake, of outside
planking, called the garboard strake (2), the keel is scored
throughout its length, the score being styled a rabbet (3).
To protect the main keel from injury in grounding there
is fitted under it a false keel (4), bolted on after the bolts
which secure the frames to the main keel are clinched.
The forward end of the shij) is formed of the stem (5),
usually of live-oak, and inclining forward from the keel.
A rabbet, similar to the one scored in the keel, is cut into
the sides of the stem and receives the forward ends of the
outside planking, which are called the fore hood-ends.
The stem is oacked and strengthened by the apron ((3),
placed abaft it, and by the deadwood (7).
Deadwood consists of timbers that fill the spaces where,
owing to the shape of the vessel, the floor-timbers have to
he discontinued.
Inside of the forward deadwood and the apron is the
stemson (8), a large knee which joins the apron to the
upper part of the deadwood.
The after-end of the ship is bounded by the stern-post
(9), usually of live-oak, which stands perpendicular to the
keel or slightly inclined aft. It is fitted like the stem with
a rabbet on each side to receive the after-ends of the out-
side planking, or after-hoods, and it is strengthened by the
introduction of a stem-post knee (10), inner post (11), and
the after-dead wood (12). Above the latter is the after-
deadwood knee (13).
{
2 THE SHIP.
Screw vessels have generally two stem-posts ; the after
one, which carries the rudder, is called the rudder-post.
The joining of the stem-post to the keel is effected by
tenons and bolts.
The frames (14) form the ribs of the ship. They stand
mostly at ri^ht angles to the keel and each is formed of
two parts joined together, each part being in itself made
up 01 several pieces. The lowest portions of a square
frame are called the floor-timbers ; above these come the
futtocks, then the long or short top-pieces. The starboard
andport side of each frame form one continuous piece.
where, owing to the form of the ship, the frames do
not stand at right angles to the keel, they are called cant
frames.
The following parts of the ship serve to secure the
above-mentioned portions together and give the structure
stiffness and strength: viz., the keelsons, breast-hooks
15^ and stem-hooks (16), outer and inner planking, beams
17) and diagonal braces.
The main keelson (18) is a fore and aft timber which is
laid directly over the keel on the floor-timbers and may
extend beyond the latter and over the deadwood, forward
and aft. The keelson is bolted through frames, keel, and
deadwood. There are usually additional keelsons at each
side of the main keelson, known as sister keelsons (20).
There are also boiler or bilge keelsons to support the
boilers (19). Bilge-keels are exterior keels bolted on to
the bottom of the ship on either side of, and parallel to, the
main keel, and at some distance from the latter, to prevent
rolling in vessels of certain form.
To hold the two sides of the ship together in the for-
ward and after ends, where the frames have no floor-tim-
bers crossing the keel, owing to the form of the ship, there
are worked m knee-shaped, horizontal timbers, either with
a natural curve, or formed of two or more pieces backed by
an iron or wooden knee. These curved supports, secured
to either side of the ship, are termed breast-nooks (15) for-
ward and stem-hooks (16) aft ; when they support a deck
they are called deck-hooks.
The outer planking of a ship is formed of a number of
oak planks of varying thickness, but nearly parallel when
placed in position over the frames.
To check marine growth on the bottom of vessels and
the consequent decrease of speed, all wooden vessels of war
are sheathed with copper from the keel to a point some
distance above their line of flotation^ or "water-line."
The inner planking is not contmuous, as in the case
of outside planking, and in different parts of the ship
is called by different names. It is known as the lim-
ber-strakes (21) nearest the keelson. These strakes ex-
tend along the bottom of the ship on either side of the
keelson. As the planking is carried up the side beyond the
THE SHIP. 3
limber-strakes it is known as the ceiling (22) : following it
up higher we find projecting ledges, callea shelf -pieces,
or clamps, placed inside the frames to receive the deck-
beams.
The deck-beams (17), extending from side to side of the
ship, holding the sides together, form the support for the
decK-planking. The beams are supported oy posts or
stancnions (23) in their centre, and by clami)s at each end.
They are jomed to the sides of the snip by iron or wooden
knees, known as hanging (24), lodging (25), lap (26)^ or
daeger (corruption of diagonal) knees, from their positions
and form.
The waterways (27) are timbers set in the side over the
tops of the deck-beams and bolted to these and to the
frames at the side.
Decks are of oak, teak, or yellow pine, and are spiked
to each deck-beam over which they pass.
Vessels owe much of their strength to the use of diagonal
trusses or braces, of metal, secured inside of the frame-
timbers and forming a net-work which binds the frames
firmly together.
To the above outline of the parts of the hull is appended
a list of prominent interior fittings and of the terms used
in describing them. As will be seen, some apply only to
wooden ships; and some to both wooden and iron ships alike.
Aft. At or near the stem of the ship.
After passage. Usually a space in the after orlop of frigates, being a passage-
way to the different store-rooms on that deck.
Air-port. Hole cat in ship's side to give light and air to berth-deck. Usuallj
drenlar.
Amidships. In or near the middle of the ship.
Apron. A timber eecnred in rear of the stem to strengthen it at the joint of
upper and lower stem-pieces.
Athwartships. In the direction of the ship's breadth.
Bag-room. Where clothing-bags of crew are stored. Usually forward on the
berth-deck or lauding off of fore- passage.
Ballast. Stone or iron placed In the hold to bring the ship down to her proper
Ihie of flotation and give stability.
Beams. Timbers that extend from side to side, supportinff the decks.
Beo^blocks. damps bolted to the bowsprit through which reeve the fore-top-
mast stays.
Belaying-pin. A pin of wood or metal at the side of the vessel or on the masts,
around whicn a rope is fastened or belayed
Bends. The thickest outside planking, extending from a little below the water-
line to the lower gun-deck ports.
Beith-deck. The sleeping and mess-deck of the crew and officers of a ship.
Bibbs. Pieces of timber on either side of the mast to which the trestle trees
are secured, and upon which they rest.
Bilge. The flat part of a ship's body on each side of the keel.
Bilge-keels. Long pieces of wood or iron aflixed to ship's bottom to lessen tho
rolling motion.
Bill-board. A ledge on the ship's bow to receive the fluke of the anchor.
Binnacle. The case mounted on a stand in which the compass is carried when
in use.
Bitts. Large vertical timbers projecting above the deck to secure the ship's
cable, also vertical posts to secure the main-tack, main-sheet, etc., accord-
ing to location.
4 THE SHIP.
Bout-chocks. Blocks of w(xxl shaped to receive the bottoms of boatft, when
hoisted ia.
Bolsters. Rounded blocks of wood filling the angle between the treatle-tree
and the mast, to prevent chafing of the ringing a^rainst the former.
Bolts. Pieces of iron or other metal used in fastening parts of the ship
togethcT.
Booby-hatch. A small hatchway, or the covering or companion of such an
aperture.
Boom-iron. Iron rings secured to one yard or spar, to support another spar,
which {jasses through the iron. Such are the studaing-sail boom-irons
on the lower and top-sail yards.
Bowsprit-bed. The |>art of the stem on which the bowsprit rests.
Bread-room. The store-nx)ms in which are kept the ship's allowance of hard-
bread, etc. Usuully situated in the after orlop.
Break of Forecastle. Where the rise of the forecastle towards the waist of
the ship, ends. Commonly used to define the after side of a top-gallant
forecastle.
Break of Poop. Where the rise of the poop towards the waist, ends. Com-
monly used in speaking of the forward end of the poop.
Breast-hooks. Knees, or an assemblage of timbers, set in the bows of ships
and secured on cither side to the timbere of the liow.
Bridle-ports. The ship's forward gun-ports. Through these ports are led the
bridles of tow-lines or warps.
Bridge. A light structure extending across the ship above the spar-deck, to
afford the officer of the deck or lookout a place for oliservation.
Bucklers. Shutters used in closing hawse-pipes (hawse-bucklers), or filling the
circular opening of half- ports when there is no gun in the port (port-
bucklersV
Bulk-heads. Partitions that divide off different pirts of the ship.
Bulwarks. The sides of the ship above the upper deck.
Bumpkin. A projection of wood or iron from the bow or quarter, to give
proper angle for the lead of the fore-tack or main-brace.
Cabin. The quarters of the commanding officer of a ship. On the gun-deck of
a ship with flush spar-deck, or under the poop {pof/p-eabin) of a single-
deeked vessel or one having a poop in addition to a covered $;un-deck.
In the Iwtter case the gun-deck cabin is usually occupied by a flag officer.
Cable-tier. Formerly platforms on which the ship's cables were coiled. At
present understoiKl to mean light platforms in the wings where spare
rigging is stowed.
Cant-frames. Frames, forward and aft, which are not at right angles to the
central fore and aft line of the vessel.
Cap. A joint fitted over the heads of masts to 8ui)i)ort the next higher mast,
which passes through a hole in the cap.
Cap-shore. A stout upright which Bup})ort8 the forward edge of the lower cap.
Capstan. A barrel of wood or metal that revolves horizontally on a spindle ;
is used with capstan-bars or moved round by steam to raise heavy weights,
weiffh anchor, etc.
Carlings (28). Short timbers running fore and aft, connecting the beams.
Cat-head. An iron or wooden projection from the ship's bow to raise the
anchor clear of the water.
Caulking. Filling the senms of a ship with oakum or cotton.
Cavil. A large wooden cleat used f<»r belaying.
Ceiling. Portions of the inside planking of a ship.
Chains (see ('hannels). C/iain chests. Lockers in the channels for the storage
of wash-deck gear.
Chain-lockers. Receptacles for the chain cables of the ship, usually forward
of the main-mast in tlie main-hold.
Chain-pipes. Iron linings of the hok»8 through which the cables are led in
passing from one deck to another.
Chain-plates. Iron plates for securing lower dead-eyes to ship's side.
Channels. Ledges of plank projecting from the side to give additional spread
to the lower shrouds.
THE SHIP. 5
Chess-trees. Pieces of timber Iwltnl in the top-sidos, with sheaves for fore and
main sheets, after gxivn. etc. Tliose for the fore and main sheets are
known also as fore and main sheet ** chocks."
Cleats. Pieces of wcx)d with projecting arms, used for belaying ropes.
Coaming. A raised lK)uudary to hatchways, to keej) water from getting'
down, etc.
Cockpit. A spac;* i>elow the after hatchway under the hertli-deck ; usually the
forwurd end of the after passage.
Compressor, in its siinnlr^! t iiiu, an iron lin-er fitted lulow each cliMin-pipe.
Tlh" «'liain i> eontrolied. when running out, l)y beini^ jammed i)eiwet'n the
compressor arm and ed^e of the chain-pipe.
Counter. The rounding of the stern over the run.
Cross-trees. Thwartship timbers, suj)ported l)y tlie l)il)l)s and trestk'-trecs to
sustain the frame of the top, constitute tlie U)Wcr cross-trees. Top-mast
• ross-trees resting on the top-mast trestle-trees, extend the top-gallnnr
shrouds.
Cutwater. The forward part of a ship's l)ow. forming tlie forward edy:e of
t)ie stem.
Dagger-knee. A knee which i> im-lincd diu^ronally. usually to clear a p<irt.
Dayits. Cranes project intif fnmi the siiip'.^ side to lioist boats, etc. .
Deadeye. A round flattish wooden block encircled by an iron sti'.ip and
pierced \v'ith holes to receive a laniard hy means of which rigging and
stays are set un taut.
Dead-^rood. Tiuiber built up on top of the keel to give solid wood for sup-
lK)rting the heels of cant frames.
Decks. The different platforms of ships.
Dispensary. Tlie .ship's pharinacy, usually placed on starboard side of berth-
deck forward of warrant otiicers' rooms, may also l)e in or near sick-bay.
Dolphin-striker. A small spar ])roj«.K*ting downward from below the Iwwsprit
to extend certain rigging of the head-booms and keep the latt<T in ])lace.
Eye-bolt. A projecting IxvU of which, the head is fashioned into an eye, used
for hooking tackles, etc.
Fid. A bar of iron or wood which pa.sses through a fid-hole in the heel of a
mast and rests on the trestle-trees on either side.
Fife-rail. Rails placed around each mast, fitted with* belay ing-pins to belay ropes.
Fish-davit. A movable piece of timber or iron projection, used to raise the
fluke of an anchor and place it on the bill-board.
Fishes. Pieces of wood or iron used in effecting temporary repairs with
injnred masts, yards, etc.
Floor-timbers. Tunbers of the frames which lie directly acro.ss the keel.
Fore and Aft. Lying in the direction of the ship's length.
Forecastle. Tlie upper-deck of a man-of-war forward of the after part of the
tore-channels.
Fore-foot. The forward end of the keel.
Fore-hold. The forward part of the hold, usually e'xtendiug from abaft the
tore passage to about midway between fore and main masts.
Fore-passage. A passageway below the berth -deck leading to the general
store-room and with entraJices on either side to various si)ecial store
rocjms, sail-room, etc.
Fore-peak. The narrow part of a vessi'l's hold close to the bow and under the
lowest deck, often accessible only from the general store-room.
Funnel. An iron band at a mast-head around wliicli the rigging fits.
Futtock-plates. Iron jjlates to which the dcnideyes of the topmast rigginir
and futtock-shrouds are secured.
Futtocks. Timbers of the frame between the floors and top-timbers.
Gammoning. The lashing or iron strap by which the bowsprit is secured to the
stem.
Gangway. The spar-deck on each side of the booms between the quarter-deck
and for««a8tle. Also an open space through the bulwarks as a passage
way in and out of the ship.
General Store-room. Is situated below the berth-deck and at the forward end
of the fore-pasflage.
6 THE SHIP.
Gooseneck. A bent nieoe of iron uaed to connect a boom to a mast hj entering
an eye-bolt or clamp, and capable of movement at tbe curve.
Grating;. An open latticed covering for hatches, etc.
Gripe. A piece bolted on forward of the stem, forming the lower end of the
catwater.
Gun-deck A covered deck of a man-of-war carrying the whole or a portion of
her battery. When the guns are carried on the upper-deck, its name as
spar-deck remains unchanged.
Gun-room. Obsolete expression for the quarters of the commissioned officers.
Gunwale. Tlje covering-piece of the heads of the timbers in a small vessel, or
boat.
Half-deck. That part of the gun-deck between the main and mizzen masts on
each side.
Hammock-nettinf 8. Trough-shaped receptacles along the rail on either side,
ki which the hammocks are stowed. A net- work of ropes was formerly
used for this purpose, hence the term; other nettings will be described, as
used.
Hanging-knee. Knee placed vertically under a deck -beam.
Hatoi. An o[«ning in a deck, forming a passage from one deck to another,
and into the holds.
Hawse-buckler. A plate used for closing the opening of tbe hawse-hole.
Hawse-holes. Holes in the bows of the ship through which pasH the cables.
Hawse-pipe. Iron lining of the hawse-holes to take the chafe of the cables.
Hawse-plug. Plugs which fill the hawse-pipes to prevent the entrance of water
when the cables are unbent. Usually made of canvas and stuffed, then
termed "jackasses."
Head-board, boards placed at the forward and after ends of the hammock-
nettings.
Helm. Strictly, the bar by means of which the rudder is moved from side to
side. Usually understood to mean the rudder, tiller, and wheel, or the
whole of the steering arrangement.
Hold. The interior i^art of ship in which the stores or cargo, etc., are stowed.
In a man-of-war if there are two holds the forward one is called the fore-
hold and the after one. whatever its position, the main hold.
Horse-block. A small raised platform abreast the mizzen-mast, for the use of
the officer of the deck when the ship is not supplied with a bridge.
Hounds. A projection on a mast for the trestle-trees to rest upon.
Hull. The main body of the ship.
Inboard. In the interior of the ship, as distinguished from outboard.
Keelson. A timber in the interior of the sliip bolted on over the keel and
floor timbers.
Knight-heads. Strong uprights on each side of the upper part of the stem to
strengthen the bow and support the bow8i)rit.
Ledges (29). Light beams, parallel to the deck -beams butting on the clamps
and carlings.
Life-rails. Consist of stanchions heeled on the gunwale or planksheer with
chain running from stanchion to stanchion. Pipe may be substituted
for chain.
Light-boxes. Frames in which are set the side-lights of a vessel when under
way.
Limbers. Gutters on each side of the keelson to allow the water to pass into
the pump-well. Limber-boards, the covering of the limbers.
Life-buoy. An apparatus for the assistance of those who may fall overboard.
Locker. A drawer or chest that may be closed with a lock. Shot locker, a
compartment in the hold for storing shot ; cJiain-locker, a similar compart-
ment for the chain-cables.
Magazine. The store-room for the ship's powder.
Main-hold. Tliat portion of the hold which extends from a short distance for-
ward of the main-mast to the break of the orlop-deck.
Manger. Part of the deck divided oflf forward to prevent any water from
running aft that may enter through the hawse-holes.
THB SHIP. 7
Manger-boArd. A plank numing across the deck a short dUrtanoe abaft the
the hawse-pipes, the after boundary of the manger.
Mast-coat. A canvas-coTering fitted around the mast and over the wedges to
prevent leakage around the mast.
Naval-pipe. Same as chain-pipe.
Oakam. Old rope picked to pieces, like hemp, used in caulkinff.
Orlop-deck. Usually a half-deck extending aft from the main -hold, a distance
depending greatly upon the shape of tlie after body.
Outboard. On the outside of the ship, in contradistinction to inboard.
Partners. The framing around a mast-hole, to take the direct strain of the
mast and mast- wedges.
Pawl. An iron arm on a capstan to keep it from recoiling.
Pin-rail. A railing on each side of the ship abreast of the masts, fitted with
belaying pins for securing ropes.
Pay. To pay a seam is to pour hot pitch and tar into it after it has been
caulked.
Poop. A deck raised above the after part of the spar-deck, reaching forward to
the mizzen-mast.
Port. An opening cut in the side of the ship through which a gun nmy be
discharged.
Port. The left side of a ship looking forward, as distinguislied from starboard.
Pump-well. The part of ttie bilge upon which the suction of the pump acts
directly.
Quarter-deck. Usually that part of the spar-deck which extends from the
stem to the main-mast.
Quarter-^alleiy. Projections from the quarters of a vessel.
Rake. The inclination of a mast, etc., from a perpendicular direction to the
keeL
Ridin&^-bitts. The bitta around which the ship's cables are taken.
Rine-bolts. Eye-bolts having a ring through the eye of the bolt.
Rucmer. The instrument by which a ship is steered.
Run. Ttie narrowing of the after part of the ship.
Sail-room. Storage-room for spare sails, hammocks, and sail-maker's stores.
In modern ships usually ojiens into the after-passage ; some vessels have
forward sail -rooms in fore-passage.
Sampson-knee. A heavy timber forward of the riding-bitts which serves to
strengthen the latter.
Shell-room. Storage- room for explosive project! lea
Shore. A post or timber used as a temporary support.
Sick-bay. The hospital of the ship, usually situated forward on the berth-
deck.
Scuppers. Holes cut through the waterways and side to allow water to run off
the decks.
Scuttle. A small circular aperture in a deck not intended for the passage of
persons, through which powder, etc., may be passed from one deck to
another.
Sheathing;. Usaally understood to mean a covering of copper, felt, etc. , placed
over a portion of the ship's surface to protect it. Copper sheathing covers
the immersed part of a ship to protect it from marine growth.
Spar-deck. The upper de^k of a ship-of-war.
Spirketing. The inside planking of a ship extending from the lower edges of
the gun-ports to the waterways.
Spirit-room. A name formerly given to the paymaster's store-room in the after-
part of the after-hold, reserved for stowage of spirits The name applies
at present to the pavmaster's store-room for dry provisions.
Stanchions. Uprights placed under deck-beams to support them in the centre,
also called pillars.
Starboard. The right side of a ship looking forward, as distinguished from
port.
Steerage. The quarters of junior officers and clerks, situated outside the
ward-room on either side of the deck, the space between the two steerage-
rooms being known as the steerage-country.
8 THE SHIP.
Stem. The forward boundary of a nhip, tlio continuation of the keel to the
height of tlu» deck.
Steps of Mast. Places inU> which the lower ends or Jials of lower masts are
secured or stepped. The fore and main masts are stepped at present in
iron siepH fittecl over the main- keelson, with flanges to the sister-keelsons.
The mizzen-mast step is a piece of timber secured to the orlop or berth
deck beams.
Stern. The after-part of the ship.
Stern-post. The after-boundary of the shij). a continuation of the keel, tenoned
into the latter and secured to it in addition by composition ))lates.
Sv^eep-pieces. Ledjres of wood hinged to the inner eilgen of gun-yorts to give
additional facility in trainine: the iruns.
Taffrail. The rail around a ship's, stern.
Tenon. The end of one piece of wood diminished and cut with shoulders to
fit in a hole of another piece, called a mortise.
Thole-pin. Pins fitted in the gunwale of a boat, to be used with a royya ring or
f/rommet as a rowlock.
Thwart, A crosrt-])iec<j in a boat, used as a seat by the oanunen.
Tiller. A bar of wocxi or iron whi':h fits into the rudder-head and by which the
steering is eft(»cted. (S«'e Helm.)
Top. A platform at the <^yes of the hiwrr rigging, supported by the treslh'-
trees and cross-tn»es; the top-ma.st rigging sei.s up at each side of the
top.
Top-gallant Forecastle. A deck raised over the* forward end of the s])ar-deck
extending from the bows nearly or quiti' \o the fore-mast.
Top-rim. The torward edge of a top, roundel to prevent chafe.
Transom. A lx«am extending across the after part of the ship.
Tree-nail. Pin of hard wo(xl u.sed as a fastening in the place of a metallic
Iwlt.
Trestle-trees. Fore and aft pieces on each side of a mast resting on the hounds
to support the rigging, cross-trees, etc.
Truck. A small wmxlen cap on a flag-stafi' or mast-head with holes or sheaves
for halliards. A mast-head truck is also fitted to receive the spindle of
the lightning-rod.
Ward-room. The quarters of the commissioned oflScers of a ship, usually
occupying the after part of the berth-deck. The rooms on the starboanl
side occupi<Ml by the line officers, those on the ])ort side by the staff
officers — the intervening space is styled the ward-room country.
Warping-chock. A block of wood, or metal casting, scored to receive a tow-
line. Bridle-ports arc fitted with such chocks, which can be removeil
when not in use.
Warrant-Officers' Rooms. Usually on the berth-deck, two on each side, for-
ward of the steemge. The boatswain and gunner occupy the starboard,
the caqH'Uter and sail-maker tlie port rcwms.
Waterways. Pieces of timl)er ]>lace<l over the tops of the l)eams and secured
to the l>eams and shi])'s side, tilling the angle between the beams and the
inside of the franie-timlx»rs.
Wheel. A wheel to the axle of which, culled the barrel. an« connected the
tiller- or ir/if(l-r<)\n's by which the rudder is niovrd in steerinc:.
Weigh. To weigh anything is to raise it— to weigh anchor.
Whiskers. Small spars projecting on either side of the bowsprit from the bees,
extending the jib and flying-jib guys.
Wings of the Hold. That part of the hold or orlop which is nearest to the
side.
Wythe. An iron fixture on the end of a mast or boom, bearing a ring through
which another mast or lxK)m is rigged out. Pronounced mth.
Yoke. A cross-piece of timber or metal fitted on the rudder-head when a tillei
cannot be used.
Plate 2
0'
5'
\ I I L^_t L
»•
I t
IS*
-I
A-
Beam Arm
n
I
- •* " — '■ — '-^—
'^IBea'm (i)
r.ti.TXi.T.J
'"'--•■"■- '
THE SHIP. 9
Plate II shows a midship section of a battle-ship of the
Indiana clasQ: such a section as would be obtained by cut-
ting the ship in the middle of its length by a vertical
thwartship plane. This exhibits the general method of
construction of a modern war vessel. The names of the
various parts will be found on the drawing and in the gloss-
ary of the terms. An examination of this plate will show
the difference in shape of material used in iron or steel ves-
sels ; and in those constructed of wood.
The keel (1) consists of two flat plates arranged as shown,
the pieces going to make up its length being joined by straps
of metal. The garboard strakes (2) fit in under the outer
edge of the outer keel plate on each side.
The vertical keel (3) rests on, and is secured to, the flat
keel as shown. The keelson plate (4) is placed on top of
the vertical keel. The flat keel plates are lapped on, and
secured to, the stem which consists of a casting of the de-
sired shape of the bow. Aft, they are similarly secured to
the stern-post, which is also a casting of the desired shape
and size.
There are no dead-woods. The breast and stern hooks
consist of angle-irons secured to tlie inside of the frames
with horizontal thwartship plates secured to them.
The frames are made up, as shown, of the outer or main
frame (5), inner or reverse frame (6), and bracket plates( 7).
These frames are angle-irons of the required size, the cross
section of which forms a Z. In the extremities of large
vessels and, throughout in small vessels, these bracket-plates
are replaced by vertical plates of the required length and
depth called floor plates.
The beams (8) have arms at their ends instead of knees,
by which they are secured to the frames.
Below the protective deck the ship is divided, horizon-
tally, by perfectly flat decks called platforms, most of which
are made water-tight. The vertical subdivisions are made
by bulkheads.
By careful study of Plate 2 and Plates 81 and 82 a very
good idea can be obtained of the construction of a modern
war vessel, together with the internal subdivisions and ar-
rangements.
GLOSSARY.
Armor. Extra thick plates placed around the vital parts of a vessel to piv
vent the entrance of projectiles.
Armor-shelf. The horizontal shelf upon which the armor rests.
Brid^^es. The forward bridge, the after bridge, the upper bridge, the loivfr
bridge, according to situation. A connecting^ gangway between the for-
wara and after bridges, or between the bridge and forecastle or poop
deck, is called the fore and aft bridge.
tower. An armored pilot house.
10 THE SHIP.
Decks. In a modern war vessel the decks are named as follows : —
Main deck. The highest complete deck extending from stem to stern.
ForecuHth deck. A partial deck, ai>ove the main deck, forward.
Poop deck. A partial deck alx)ve the main deck at the stern.
Upper deck. A partial deck above the main deck, amidships ; when the
8[)ace under this deck is not enclosed it is called a bridge deck.
Gun deck. A complete deck between the main deck and the berth deck on
which guns are carried. If there are two such decks they are calleil
giitt deck and lower deck respectively.
Berth deck. The first deck below the main deck used primarily for bftrthinj;
purposes and on which noguns except light rapid-fire guns are carried.
Orlopideck. A partial deck between the berth deck and protective deck or
water-tight deck.
Protective deck. A steel deck of extra strength and thickness designed for
protective purposes. It is divided into middie protective deck, &nd for-
ward (or after) protective deck.
Water-tight deck. A deck worked in the same manner as the protective deck
but of much ligliter material, serving only to keep water from getting
behiw.
Splinter deck. A deck worked immediately under the protective dK*k for
protective purposes.
Deck-lights. Small openings to the deck for the admission of light only.
Deck space. Space between decks; this space takes the name of the deck
above which it is located.
Double bottom. The space l)etween the inner and outer l)ottoms. In the mer-
chant service this is often called the water bottom
Inner bottom. The inner surface of the double bottom.
Freeing ports. Large openings in the bulwarks for permitting the escape of
water.
Man-hole. A small opening just large enough to permit the passage of a man.
Platforms. Partial, flat decks located below the protective deck. Where there
are two they are called, upper platform ana lower platform.
Strake. Applies to layers of plating.
Torpedo port. Opening in the ship's side for the service of torpedo tubes.
Vertical keel. The vertical plate placed on the inside of the flat keel.
Water-tight bulkheads. The internal vertical partitions of a modern vessel
compo.sed of plates and made water-tight. They are designated as follows :
Transverse bulkheads. Thwartship partitions placed as required. The one
farthest forward is made specially strong and called the collision bulkhead.
Splinter or Screen bulkheads. Thwartship partitions worked between the
guns on battery decks.
Longitudinal bulkheads. Fore and aft partitions called middU line e^r winy
bulkheads, according as they are placed in the middle of the vessel or out
toward the sides.
Wood flat. The wood jdanking in metal ships.
Plate 4
THE SHIP.
11
Si>£tx*H And n/ig-g-ing-. The names of the spars
and rigging of the ship are given in the references to
Plate 3.
1.
2.
a
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
la
11.
i«.
18.
14.
16.
16w
17.
1&
19.
».
91.
M.
«7.
SB.
99.
ao.
31.
34.
88.
39.
Fore rojal stay.
Flying jib Btoy.
Fore topgallant Btay.
Jib etay.
Fore topmast stays.
Fore stars.
Fore tacks.
Flying martingale.
Martingale stay.
Jib gnys.
Jamper gnys.
Back ropes.
Bobetays.
Plying JI^ boom.
Fhring Jib foot ropes.
Jib boom.
Jib foot ropes.
Bowsprit.
Fore royal track.
** mast.
" lifts,
yard,
backstays.
** braces.
Fore topgallant mast and
Fore topgallant lifts,
yard.
'* backstays.
" braces.
Fore topmast and rigging.
Foro topsail lift,
yard.
foot ropes.
" braces.
Fore yard.
"■ brace.
" lifts.
f?aff.
trysail vangs.
tt
40.
4t.
42.
48.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
SO.
51.
08.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
50.
eo.
61.
68.
68.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
TO.
71.
72.
T8.
74.
75.
REFERENCES.
Fore topmast studding sail
booms.
Foremast and rigging.
Fore topmast backstays.
Fore 8heet8.
Main track and pennant.
Main royal mast and back-
stay.
■Main royal stay.
llftP.
yard.
" braces.
Main topgallant mast and
Main topgallant lifts.
*' backstays.
yard.
" stay.
*' braces.
Main topmast and rigging.
Topsail lifts.
^* jard.
** foot ropes.
'* braces.
Topmast stays.
Main topgallant stnnsail
booms.
Main topmast backstay.
" yard.
** foot ropes.
'* mast and rigging.
** lifts.
"• braces.
" tacks.
** sheets.
" trysail gaff,
trysail vangs.
stays.
Mizzen royal track.
Royal mast and rigging.
ti
76.
T7.
78.
79.
80.
81.
8S.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
93.
98.
94.
96.
96.
97.
Ms.
99.
100.
101.
108.
103.
104.
106.
106.
107.
10&
109.
110.
111.
Royal stay.
♦' lifts.
" yard.
'* braces.
Mizzen topgallant mast
and rigging.
Mizzen topgallani lifts.
** backstays.
" braces.
yard.
*' stay.
Mizzen topmast and rig-
MuBzen topmast stay.
" topsail lifts.
** topmast backstays.
" topsail bracc9.
** yard.
** ** root ropes.
cross-Jack yard.
foot ropes.
•* Hfts.
" braces.
Mizzen mast and rigging.
•* sUy.
Spanker gaff.
Peak halliards.
Spanker vangs.
Spanker boom.
Spanker boom topping
lift.
Jacob's or stern ladder.
Spanker sheet.
Cutwater.
Port bow.
" beam.
Water line.
Port quarter.
Rudder.
ScLilM. The names of the sails and certain running
rigeing of a ship are given in the following references to
~*la
Plate 4.
Nambs of Sails.
1. Flying Jib.
2. Jib.
Z. Fore topmast staysail.
4. Fore course or foresail.
5. Main course or mainsail.
6. Fore topsail.
7. Main topsail,
a Miczen topsaU.
9. Fore topgallant sail.
10. Main tof^allant sail.
11. Mizzen topgallant sail.
19. Pore royal.
18. Bfain royal.
14. Mizzen royal.
15. Fore trysail.
IC Main trysail
17. Spanker.
1& Lower staddlngsail.
19. Fore topmast stnddingsall.
80. Fore topgiJlant studding-
sail.
81. Main topgallant staddlng-
sail.
OBAB or COUBSIB. '
23. Clew Garoets.
88. Tacks.
94. Sheets.
25. Inner leechline.
86. Outer leechline.
87. Buntlines.
88. Bowline bridles.
Obab of Topsails, stc.
29. Clewlines,
ao. Bowline and bridles.
81. Topgallant clewline.
88. Boyal clewline.
; 88. Fore trysail Tangs.
84. Peak span.
85. Main trysail vangs.
I 86. Peak span.
87. Spanker vangs.
88. Throat bralL
89. Middle brail.
40. Foot brail.
41. Lower studdingsailouthaul
48. Lower studdingsall sheet.
48. Lower staddlngsail clew-
line.
44. Outer halliards.
45. Topmast studdingsall tack.
46. Topmast staddlngsail
downhanl.
47. T*gllt stunsU Uck.
48. Qoarter boat.
49. Waist boat.
Xligr of T^essels (compare Plate 5). Vessels are
divide<raccording[ to their rig into numerous classes, of
^which the following may be mentioned as the principal
types usually met with at sea :
IZ THE ?»HIP.
Th^j Whip (\), Three masted, square rigged on all
three mastM.
Th#^ 1 f iiT'iiiie or I^ai*k (2). Three masted, square
rigged on forf and main, fore and aft rig on the mizzen mast.
^VU4^ I )xi.i*k«f ntine (3). Three masted, square
rigg^'d on the foremast, fore and aft rig on the main and
my///A'X\ mastH,
^ni#* llf'ii^ {:*). Two masted, sijuan* rigged on both
''I''li<» Kf'lerfintiTie. The same as a brig, but with-
out a m]uare mainsail.
^•1145 1 l€^i*iiiiii>hT*oclite Bi'ig' (0). Two masted,
m|uare rigged op the foremast, fore and aft rig on the main-
rriant.
^V\i^*- 'TopMall Schooner (7). Two masted
Hrhooner with a wjuare fort! topsail.
''I''li#^ M<*lioon4»i*. Two masted (8), three masted
(4), or four masted fore and aft rig.
''I''h« Hloop (0). One masted, fore and aft rig.
Note. A vessel is said to be square rigged on a certain
mast, when the sails set on that mast are bent to yards,
and fore and aft rigged when the sails are bent to gaffs.
The topsail yards of merchantmen are almost invariably
double, the topsail being in two parts, the lower part bent
to the low(5r topsail yard and not noisted, the upper portion
bent to the upper yard and hoisted, as in the case of a single
topsail. TIhj clews, or lower comers, of the upper topsail
are shackled to the yard arms of the lower topsail yard,
Vi»hh€»1h ol*\Vtii'5 in the United States Xavy, are
<;luHHifi(?d as follows:
'I'hey are first divi(l(Ml into two principal classes; armored
and ininnnarvd, Thc^ formta* comprises all those which an^
protected f'roni gun attac^k by thick armor; the latter includes
all from wliic^li this protc^ction is absent.
TIh» first class is subdivided into battleships and arm-
tired rr in sens. The foriiKT are either sea-going with high
freeboard and great c()al endurance, or roast defense, with
low f nM'hoard, of which the monitor ty])e is an example.
. I rnawed rruisers luive high speed, great coal endurance,
and in<»dc»rately thick armor. Uaarmored ernisers are ^^/o-
terled l)y a heavy protective deck, extending fore and aft;
or partialltf protected, when the protective deck covers only
th(» vital parts of the vi'ssel. Lnarmored vessels of 2,000
tons displa(*enient and above are called cruisers; below that
sisee, gmdnutts.
Torpedo boats. Small vessels of high speed intended,
e.xelasivelv, for tiring t<»rpedoes.
T}}rpeifo'fH)at Destroffers. Torpedo vessels of from 30(»
to 1000 tons tlisplacement, of great speed, and fitted with
rapitl fire battery in addition to the ordinary outfit of tor-
petlo tubes ami torjHHloes.
CHAPTER II.
THE COMPASS. -THE LEAD. -THE LOG.
The Oompass. A piece of steel which has been
touched by a magnet, if free to move on a pivot, will point
in a definite direction. To this direction, as a standard, all
others may be referred, and any desired course thus fol-
lowed.
The Mariner's Compass is basfed upon this principle. It
consists of the needle, which is attacned to the under side
of a card. Fig. 1, representing the horizon, and graduated
with the thirty-two ** points '"of the compass. The North
end, or pole, of the needle is fixed under the North point of
the card. The needle and card are balanced on a pivot
fixed vertically in the compass-box, or bowl, and the whole
is protected by a glass covering. The bowl is filled with a
liquid composed of 45^ pure alcohol and 55^ distilled water.
This mixture remains liquid at a low temperature exceed-
ing — 10'' Fahrenheit.
As the North mark of the compass-card always points
with the needle to the North, the other marks will of course
point to their respective parts of the horizon.
The variation of the compass and its local errors are not
noticed here, as they may be referred to in any book on
Navigation.
The Luhher*8 Point is a vertical line drawn on the inside
of the bowl of the compass to correspond with the vessel's
head ; the point of the card coinciding with it shows the
course steered, or the direction in which the ship is
heading.
To Box tlie Oompa^^is^ is to name the points
in regular succession, beginning at one point and ending
at the same: thus, commencing with north and going
around with the sun, say : —
North, South-East,
North by East, South-East by South,
North North-East, South South-East,
North-East by North, South by East,
North-East, South,
North-East bv East, South by West,
East North-East, South South-west.
East by North, South- West by South,
East, South- West,
East by South, South- West by West,
East South-East, West South- West,
South-East by East, West by South,
13
14 THE COMPASS.
West, North-West,
West by North, North-West by North,
West North-West, North North-West,
North-West by West, North by West,
North.
Each point is further divided into half -points and quar-
ter-points, and the fractional points are named upon the
same principle as the points themselves ; thus : —
N. i E. N. E. i E.
N. i E. N. E. i E.
N. I E. N. E. J E.
N. by E. N. E. by E.
N. by E. i E. N. E. by E. } E.
N. by E. i E. N. E. by E. i E.
N. by E. i E. N. E. by E. i E.
N. N. E. E. N. E.
N. N. E. i E. E. N. E. I E.
N. N. E. i E. E. N. E. i E.
N. N. E. i E. E. N. E. J E.
N. E. by N. E. by N.
N. E. I N. E. I N.
N. E. i N. E. i N.
N. E. i N. E. i N.
N. E. E., &c., &c.
A quarter-point (or half -point) can obviously be named
with reference to either one of the nearest whole points.
Thus N. \ E. would be defined also as N. by E. J N., and
E. N. E. i E. would be recognized as E. by N. ^ N.
The following are the usual rules for naming quarter-
points : —
1st. From East or West to the nearest whole point, use
for quarter-points that name which ends with the word
North or South. Thus, E. i S., not E. by S. J E.
2d. From N. E., N.W., S. E., or S. W., to the nearest
whole point use that name which ends with the nearest
cardinal point. Thus, N. E. i N., not N. E. by N. i E.;
N. W. i W., not N. W. by W. | N.
3d. in all other cases use that name of the quarter or
half -point which ends with the word East or West. Thus,
E. S. E. i E., not E. by S. i S.
A Dumb Compass is used at the mast-heads, tafifrail,
&c., for taking relative bearings. It consists of a compass-
card painted on a board or cut on a copper plate.
Relative Rearingrw. In referrmg to the posi-
tion of an object, the direction of the wind, &c.,with refer-
ence to the ship, use is frequently made of what are called
relative bearings, instead of givmg the directions in com-
pass-points.
THE COMPASS. 15
i
In Fig. 2, Plate 9, a ship is represented as heading North.
A lighthouse or other object if seen bearing North would
also be said to bear, from that ship : Ahead.
If seen bearing N. by E. : One point on starboard bow.
Bearing N. N. E. : Two points on starboard bow.
Bearing N.E. by N.: Three points on starboard bow.
Bearing N.E. : feroad off starboard bow.
Bearing N.E. by E.: Three points forward of starboard
beam.
Bearing E. N.E. : Two points forward of starboard beam.
Bearing E. by N. : One point forward of starboard beam.
Bearing East : Abeam.
Bearing E. by S. : One point abaft starboard beam.
Bearing E. S.E. : Two points abaft starboard beam.
Bearing S.E. by E. : Three points abaft starboard beam.
Bearing S.E.: feroad off starboard quarter.
Bearing S.E. by S.: Three points on starboard quarter.
Bearing S. S.E. : Two points on starboard quarter.
Bearing S. by E. : One point on starboard quarter.
Bearing South : Astern.
And similarly at N. by W., N. N.W., &c., one point on
I)ort bow, two points on port bow, &c., &c.
To find the direction of the wind, when ship is close
hauled, — A square-rigged ship, when close hauled, can
usually lie no nearer the wind than six points ; therefore, if
a ship be close hauled on the starboard tack, and her head
at North, count six points thence to the right hand, or
towards East, and you will find the wind at E. N.E. The
wind then forms with the keel an angle of six points, so
that if a line at Fig. 2, Plate 9, represents the ship's keel,
{c\ will be the yard when braced up, and (cZ) the direction
01 the wind. In practice the yard is braced up sharper, to
make the sail stand to better advantage.
When the ship is on the port tack with her head NoVth,
the points are counted on the opposite or left side, and the
wind is W. N. W. If the ship's nead be put to any point of
the compass, counting six points to the right or leit hand,
according as the ship is on the starboard or port tack, will
always give the direction of the wind when the vessel is
close hauled.
When the wind is E. by N. , in Fig. 2, the ship is then
one point free, because her head is seven points from the
wind. With the wind East in the figure, it is said to be two
points free, or abeam, as shown in the remarks on relative
Searings. If the wind is at S. in the figure, it is said to be
aft.
After learning to box the compass. with the sun, go
around against the sun, or from North towards West, and
practise with such questions as the following : Ship on the
port tack, heading S. W. f W., how will she head on the
other tack ? With the wind at S. W. and steering due East,
16 THE LBAD.
the ship is hauled up two points and a half, how will she
head ? Close hauled, with the port tacks aboard, heading
S. S.E., you bear up, keeping away six points, how will the
ship head, and how will the wind be with reference to the
ship's beam ? Ship heading N. N.E. on the starboard tack,
a lighthouse is reported from aloft bearing two points abaft
the lee beam, how will it bear by compass, &c., &c. ?
With few exceptions steam vessels steer entirely by
degrees and not by points or fractions of points. As tlie
departure for 1° and 300 miles, is 5.2 miles, the reason for
the change is obvious.
Compass cards are now graduated to degrees as well as
quarter points, and the seaman should be equally familiar
with both methods of graduation.
TTlie I*elox*vxH« This is a dumb compass mounted
on the end of the bridge or other convenient place for taking
bearings. It consists of an outer metal ring with the lub-
ber's point marked on it. Revolving inside of this ring is
a metal plate graduated to quarter points and degrees, in
the same manner as the ordinary compass card. Over the
plate, and revolving on the same vertical axis, is a metal
bar furnished with sight vanes, by which the bearings are
taken. The bar has verniers at its outer extremities for
reading off against the graduated plate below. The plate
and bar can be clamped at will.
THE LEAD.
SoTxiiclingrf*5^ to ascertain the depth of water on
entering or leaving a port, or in any case where there is
supposed to be less than twenty fathoms of water, are
taken by the hand lead. Fig. 3, Plate 0, a quartermaster or
forecastle-man being stationed in the main chains for tlie
purpose ; the lead weighing from seven to fourteen pounds,
and the line being from twenty to thirty fathoms in length.
Hand lead lines are marked as follows :
At 2 fathoms from the lead, with 2 strips of leather.
At 3 fathoms from the lead, with 3 strips of leather.
At 5 fathoms from the lead, with a white rag.
At 7 fathoms from the lead, with a red rag.
At 10 fathoms from the lead, with leather, having a hole
in it.
At 13 fathoms from the lead, as at 3.
At 15 fathoms from the lead, as at 5.
At 17 fathoms from the lead, as at 7.
At 20 fathoms from the lead, with 2 knots.
At 25 fathoms from the lead, with one knot.
At 30 fathoms from the lead, with three knots.
At 35 fathoms from the lead, with one knot.
At 40 fathoms from the lead, with four knots. And so
on.
THE LEAD. 17
These are known as the ''marks.'" The numbers omit-
ted, as 1, 4, C, 8, &c., are called the "deeps;" and they are
spoken of together as the " marks and deeps of the lead
line."
All lead lines should be marked when wet.
Soundings by the hand-lead are taken while the vessel
has headway on, the leadsman throwing the lead forward,
and getting the depth as the vessel passes, while the line is
nearly perpendicular. He communicates to the oflScer the
soundings obtained, thus :
If the depth corresponds with either of the above marks,
he says, "-Bv the mark 5 or 7. If the mark is a little below
the surf ace, ne says, ^^Mark under water 5 or 7." If the
depth is greater, or one half more than any of the marks,
he says, ^'And a quarter^" or '^And a half 5 or 7." If the
depth is a quarter less, he says, *' Quarter less 5 or 7." If
he judges by the distance between any two of the marks
that the depth of water is 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, or 21
fathoms, he says, ''By the deep 4," &c.
On the hand-lead line there are nine "marks" and
eleven "deeps."
Require tne soundings to be given in a sharp, clear and
decidea tone of voice. In steamers, this is certainlv the
best plan, for while the old-fashioned "song" is being
drawled out, the vessel may run ashore.
Tlie I3i:*eaNl>"barid. oi^ l^oj^e, generally the
former, made of canvas, secured at both ends to the rigging,
supports the body of the leadsman while heaving the nand-
leaa.
Besides the breast-band, it is a very good plan to have
fitted, in connection with it, a tarpaulin apron, to cover the
"leadsman" from the feet to the waist. This keeps him
dry and adds much to his comfort.
On going into the chains for the purpose of sounding,
the leaHsman should see the breast-rope properly secured •
liis line clear, and the end made fast. If at night, he should
take the distance from the breast-rope to the water's edge ;
then at each cast deduct this distance from the mark at
hand and give it as the true sounding.
The X>eep-s*ea T^ead. is used in depths of over
*25 fathoms, and weighs from 50 to ]()() pounds.
The deep-sea (pronounced *'dipsey") lead is hollowed
out at the base to receive an anniufj of tallow. When the
lead strikes the bottom, the tallow becomes coated with sand,
¥Bbbles, shells or other substances which show its ^character,
his information, compared with the description of the sea-
bottom given on the chart, often proves of value in deter-
mining the ship's position. Instead of being hollowed out
at the bottom, the deep-sea lead may have a specimen cup,
of brass, at the end» as shown in Fig. 4, Plate (».
iS THK LEAD.
The deep-sea lead line is from 100 to 200 fathoms in
length. Up to 20 fathoms it is marked the same as the
hand lead line.
At 25 fathoms, one knot ;
At 80 fathoms, three knots ;
At 40 fathoms, four knots, etc., etc., and at every inter-
mediate five fathoms, by one knot or a small strand. At
100 fathoms the line is marked with a piece of red bunting.
To Soixnd w^itli the I>eep-sea Lead.
The order is given, Man the chains and pass along the line !
The men are ranged outside the vessel from the weather
mizzen chains to the cathead. The line is passed forward
outside and clear of everything. The lead is sent forward
on deck, and the line bent to it by the captain of the fore-
castle. The line is then hauled forward, each man collecting
a coil of several fathoms in his hand, commencing forward,
until the officer thinks there is line enough out. It is then
snatched in a small snatch-block. Fig. 5, Plate (5, secured to
the after mizzen rigging, or to the weather spanker vang.
the remaining part of it being coiled down in a tub or rack,
or wound on a reel, clear for running. Everything being in
readiness, and the vessel's headway sufficiently deadened,
the officer orders, Stand by! Heave! The captain of the
forecastle heaves the lead as far forward as he can, and at
the same time cries, Watch-ho ! Watch ! And each man, as
the line runs out from his hand, holds it clear of the side,
and repeats the cry, Watch-ho! Watch! In the mean
while, the line runs out until the lead touches the bottom,
or until a sufficient quantity has been run out to satisfy the
officer that no bottom has been found. The men then lay
aft and man the line! and walk forward with it; a petty
officer being stationed by it, to note the depth of water by
the first mark that comes in.
If bottom has been found, it will instantly be known by
the line bringing up suddenlv in running out, or by the
arming on the lead after it is hauled up ; by which the na-
ture of the bottom is known.
In heaving the deep-sea lead, the men stationed in the
chains should be cautioned not to let the line go until they
feel the lead take it, for if the ship is in much shoaler water
than was anticipated, it is thus detected at once.
The I>i»ift I^ead.. While at single anchor, it is
E roper always to have a lead somewhat heavier than the
and-lead, say from fourteen to twenty pounds, over the
side, and resting on the bottom, with a man to attend it.
Of course, this is only necessary in a stiff breeze, or at
night. But in a vessel-of-war, it should be observed as a
standing rule, without regard to the weather. By this you
will have instant notice if the vessel parts her cable or
drags her anchor.
^
LORD KELVir^S SOUNDING MACHINE.
THE LEAD. 19
The Sir TV^illianx Thomson Soixnding^
Misteliiiie, Fig. 10, Plate 7. This consists of a V-shaped
drum on which the wire is wound, mounted in a strong frame.
The drum can revolve independently of the spindle ; or it
may be clamped to it by means of friction plates. There is
a friction plate on each side of the drum. The one on the
left side is rigidly attached to the spindle. The one on
the right side revolves with the spindle, but can slide, in and
out, on it. Just out-board of the friction plate on the right
side, and working on a threaded portion of the spindle, is a
sleeve, carrying a radial arm which may be held in place by
a hinged catch, on the right side of the frame. Turning the
cranks, [which are shipped on the ends of the spindle,] aft.
or in the direction for paying out, the wire, while the arm is
fixed, draws the sleeve out, and releases the friction plates.
Turning the cranks forward, or in the direction for reeling
in, pushes the sleeve in and clamps the friction plates against
the drum. Attached to the drum on the left side is an arm
that moves a pointer on a dial, and thus registers the num-
ber of turns out.
On the end of the wire is a lead toggle, to which about
two fathoms of plaited rope is made fast, the other end of
the rope being bent to the lead in the usual manner. The lead
weighs about 25 pounds and is hollowed out for the arming.
There are two methods of registering the depth. By
means of the depth-recorder, Fig. 1 2, Plate 7, and by means
of a small glass tube, the inner surface of which is covered
with a chemical substance that is discolored by having
water come in contact with it. ( )ne end of this tube is her-
metically sealed, the other end is open.
If using the depth-recorder seize it to the rope about a
fathom from the lead. If using the glass tube take off the*
depth-recorder and seize in its place a brass guard tube.
This machine is used almost exclusively for coasting and
taking soundings in depths not exceeding 100 fathoms. The
number of turns gives the depth only approximately. Up
to 10, or 12 knots the depth in fathoms is about half the
number of turns out; above that speed it is about one-third.
Tlie clepth-recoi-clei* is shown in Fig. 12. As
the lead descends the increased pressure of the water forces
the piston D up the tube, while a spiral spring pulls the
piston back as soon as the pressure ceases. The distance
the piston is forced up against the action of the spring, de-
pends on the depth. The marker C records the depth. As
the recorder goes down, the marker is pushed along the pis-
ton. When the recorder is brought to the surface, the piston
returns to its original po*sition ; but the marker remains at
the place on the scale to which it was pushed, and shows
the depth to which the lead has descended.
Between each cast the nut A should be unscrewed to
20 THE LEAD.
slacken the valve B ; and the recorder should be turned up^
side down to empty out any water that may have leaked in.
A little water in the upper bottle will not interfere with
the accuracy of the indications.
Before each cast see that the nut A is firmlv screwed
up and that the marker is at zero.
Occasionally push a little grease up the piston into the*
tube to keep the leather packing in good order.
To take a cast : have one man at the crank, and one at the
lead, see that the marker on the depth-recorder is at zero,
and that the arming is on the lead. See the lead clear of the
side ; sounding wire clear in the fair leads. When all is
ready, give the order. Let go! The brakeman gives the
crank one turn aft, the catch being down, and the arm in it.
This releases the drum, allowing it to revolve freely and
the wire to run out. Keep the finger pin pressing on the
wire. When the bottom is reached, [shown by the wire
slacking up] give the order, Stop! The br^fkeman imme-
diately gives the crank one turn forward, which clamps the
drum to the friction plate and spindle, throws up the catch,
and reels in the wire. Watch the dial ; and. when the lead is
nearly up, reel in very carefully while the leadsman is clear-
ing the tube and lead.
To use the glass tube take off the metal recorder, seize
on the guard tube, open end up, put in the glass tube, open
end down; put the top on the guard tube and sound as
already described.
Be careful, when reeling in, to keep the open end of tlie
glass tube down until all water is out of it. Apply the
glass tube, open end down, to the scale supplie(l for the
purpose, and read off the number of fathoms shown by the*
discoloration. There is a small correction for the state of
the barometer that may be applied; but it is usually too
small to be considered.
•TameH** Patent Sixl>m.ai»iiie Senti-jy^^
Fig. 13, Plate 8, is an automatic apparatus to give instant
warning of the approach of a vessel to shallow water.
It consists of the kite K, called the Sentry, which is towcMl
astern of a vessel, the forward end of the kite being slightly
inclined downward; the pressure on top keeping it sub-
merged to a uniform depth with a given amount of line out.
Frequent experiments have proved that at speeds varying
from 5 to 13 knots there will be no alteration in the vertical
depth of the sentry.
The kite is of wood, slightly over 3 feet long, and weighs
about 15 lbs. The line used is galvanized pianoforte wire
equal to a strain of 1000 lbs. The wire is wound on a drum
similar to the Sir Wm. Thomson Sounding Machine. A
counter on the left side of the machine shows the vertical
depth at which the sentry is towing, also the amount of
wire out.
THE LOG. 21
Two kites are supplied ; the black kite for depths not ex-
ceeding *M) fathoms; the red kite not exceeding 40 fathoms
depth.
To use the machine slow the vessel to a speed not exceed-
ing 10 knots ; lower the sentry to the depth you expect to run
into, then go ahead at any speed not exceeding 13 knots, with
the black kite; or 10 knots with the red kite. When the
trigger A B strikes the bottom, the catch C is released,
throwing the whole strain on D, thus upsetting the kite and
causing it to rise to the surface. At the same time that the
tension on the wire is reduced, one end of a crank of the
machine on deck is freed, allowing the other end to fall
back, and strike a gong ; the signal that bottom has been
struck. The depth can be verified by getting a cast of the
lead.
This machine should be frequently overhauled to prevent
rusting and should be carefully examined before being used.
THE LOG.
Various methods have been proposed for measuring the
rate at which a ship sails; but that most in use is by the
Log and Glass.
The Log is a flat piece of thin board, of a sectoral or
quandrantal form, Figs. (>« and fo, Plate 0, loaded, on the
circular side, with lead sufficient to make it swim upright
in the water. To this is fastened a line, about 150 fathoms
long, called the log-line, which is divided into certain spaces
called kuotfs, and is wound on a reel, Fig. 7, which turns very
easily. The Glass is of the same form as an Hour-Glass,
Fig. 8, and contains such a quantity of sand as will run
through the hole in its neck in twenty-eight seconds.
>I!ai*liing' the Log'-Line. Previous to mark-
ing a new Log-line, it is soaked in water for a few days, in
order to get it in the condition it will be when in use. From
15 to 20 fathoms is allowed for *' stray-line,'' to carry the
chip out of the eddy of the ship's wake. The length of a
knot is determined (for the 28-second glass) by the following
proportion, viz. : As the number of seconds in an hour is to
the number of feet in a sea mile (one-sixtieth of a degree of
a great circle of the earth,) so is the length of the glass to
the length of a knot, or,
3.000 s : n,()80 ft. =28 s : 47.29 ft.
: 47 feet 3 inches;
therefore the length of the knot is 47 feet :} inches for the
28-second glass.*
* A statute mile is 5,280 toot. To convort sea miles into statute miles,
multiply the former bv 1.153. To convert statute miles into sea miles, multi-
ply by the decimal .808.
22 THR LOO.
The velocity of the ship is estimated in knots and tenths
of a knot.
The limit of stray -line is marked by a piece of red bunting
about six inches long, and each length of 47 feet 3 inches
after that, by a piece of fish-line with one, two, three, etc.,
knots in it, according to its number from the stray-line.
Each length of 47 feet 3 inches (the knot) is subdivided
into five equal parts, and a small piece of white bunting
about two inches long is turned into the line at every two-
tenths division thus formed.
Always, before leaving port, the Navigator has the line
thoroughly soaked for a few days, and then all the marks
placed at their proper distances. He also compares all the
sand-glasses with a watch, and if any should be incorrect,
he makes them run the proper time by taking out or putting
in sand, as the case requires. During daylight, especially
in very damp weather, it is preferable to use a watch rather
than a sand-glass for noting the time. Errors of the glass
due to moisture are connmionly corrected by drying it.
Heaving- tlie X^og. — To find the ship's speed is
called heaving the log, and is thus performed: One man
holds the reel, and another the glass; an officer of the
watch throws the log over the ship's stern, on the lee side ;
or, on the side opposite to the patent log if it be out. When
he observes the stray line is run off, and the red rag is gone,
he cries, Turn ; the glass-holder answers, Twra. Watching
the glass, the moment it is run out, he says. Up! The reel
being immediately stopped, the last mark run oflf shows the
number of knots, and the distance of that mark from the
rail is estimated in tenths. Then the knots and tenths to-
gether show the distance the ship has run the preceding
hour, if the wind or motive power has been constant. But
if the wind has not been the same during the whole hour, or
interval of time between heaving the log, or if there has been
more sail set or handed, a proper allowance must be made.
Sometimes, when the ship is before the wind, and a great sea
setting after her, it will ''bring home" the log. In such
cases, it is customary to allow one mile in ten, and less in
proportion if the sea be not so great. Allowance ought
also to be made, if there be a head sea.
In heaving the lo^, you must be careful to veer out the
line as fast as the chip will take it ; for if it be left to turn
the reel itself, it will come home and deceive you in your
reckoning. You must also be careful to measure the log-
line pretty often, lest it stretch and deceive you in the dis-
tance. Like regard must be had that the glass be iust 28
seconds ; otherwise no accurate accoimt of the ship^s way
can be kept. The glass is much influenced by the weather,
running slower in damp weather than in dry. The glass
may be examined by a watch, as above stated, or by the
following method :— Fasten a plummet on a line, and nang
THE LOG. 23
it on a nail, observing that the distance between the nail
and middle of the plummet be 39^ inches ; then swing the
plummet, and notice how often it swings while the glass is
running out, and that will be the number of seconds meas-
sured by the glass.
If the vessel's speed is greater than four knots the four-
teen-second glass is used instead of the twenty-eight second,
and the nuniber of knots run out is doubled to ascertain the
actual rate of sailing, as the line is graduated for the
twenty-eight second glass. The twenty-eight and fourteen
second glasses are .called respectively the long and short
glasses.
In addition to the chip log. vessels of war are furnished
with *'The Bliss Patent Taflfrail Log" and ^-^The Negus Im-
proved Taflfrail Log." The former is considered reliable for
speeds up to ten or twelve knots, the latter for still higher
speeds. The general features of both are the same.
The :Bli»s Patent TafTir-ail I^og^ (Fig. 9).
This is a mechanical.log, consisting of a rotator, or fly,
which is towed well astern of the vessel, clear of the eddy
currents ; and of a series of geared wheels arranged in a
brass cylinder secured to some convenient place on board
ship well aft. The rotator, as it is drawn through the
water, revolves like an ordinary propeller, and these revo-
lutions are transferred to the geared wheels by means of a
plaited rope about 2O0 feet long. The inner end of this rope
is secured to the outer end of a spindle, the inner end of
which is an endless screw, geared into two small wheels
which transfer the turns to three registering wheels. The
axes of the registering wheels carry pointers that register
speed in knots and tenths, up to 100 knots.
Tlie ^TVeg-us Improved I^atent TafTi^all
(Fig. 11). This log differs from the one just described,
in that the system of geared wheels is provided with a fly
wheel and a governor. The governor consists of a rod with
a ball at each end, the line being attached to the middle of
the rod. The movement of the geared wheels is similar to
a clock made with strong and well proportioned springs.
A length of line, varying with the speed of the vessel, is
reconunended for use with this log.
Both logs should be carried on the weather side of the
taffrail, and the works kept well oiled. The rotator should
be carefully watched to see that it is not fouled by sea-weed
or other floating substances. It must also be remembered
that no patent log of this description can register accurately
in a heavy head sea.
Tlie GrfoiMid. X^og- is the conmion log line with
a haad-lead attached, and is used in tideways and currents,
in soundings, to ascertain the vessel's speed over the ground.
The speed of steamers is generally estimated from the
number of revolutions of the enginea.
CHAPTER III.
ROPE.
There are four varieties of rope in the United States
naval service : that made of the fibres of the hemp plant :
the Manila rope, made of the fibres of a species of the wila
banana ; hide rope, made of strips of green hide, and wire
rope.
In some countries, ropes made of horse hair, of the
fibrous husk of the cocoanut, called coir-rope, and of tough
grasses, are quite common. In our own country, rope has
been made from fibres of the flax and cotton plants. The
metals have also been put in requisition, copper-wire rope
being used for particular purposes, principally for lightning
conductors, and iron and steel wire are in general use for
standing rigging; steel wire being some fifty per cent,
stronger than iron wire of the same size.
Of the manv vegetable substances that are adapted to
rope-making, the best is hemp — hemp-rope possessing in a
remarkable degree the essential qualities of flexibility and
tenacity.
Hemp in its transit from its native fields to the rope-
walk passes through the operations of dew-rotting y scuzch"
ing and hackling. In the first process water dissolves the
glutinous matter that binds the nbrous portion to the woody
core, thus partly setting the fibres free ; scutching breaks
the stalk and separates it still further from the fibre, and
hackling consists in combing out the hemp to separate the
long and superior fibres from the short and indifferent ones
or tow.
The hemp of commerce is put up in bundles of about
200 lbs. each. If good, it will oe found to possess a long,
thin fibre, smooth and glossy on the surface, and of a yel-
lowish green color; free from "spills," or small pieces of
the woody substance ; possessing the requisite properties of
strength and toughness, and inodorous.
Russian and Italian hemp are considered the best, for the
generality of purposes. Rope made from the best quality
of Russian hemp, is more extensively used in the navy than
any other kind.
Italian hemp is only used in the navy for packing for
engines, its cost being more than double that of Russian
hemp. ;
Tne Native American dressed hemp, easily distinguished
24
ROPE. 25
by its dark grayish color, is preferred for many purposes, such
as for marline, houseline, hambroline, and all cordage spun
by hand, the fibre being finer than that of the Russian hemp,
Ootton is a poor substitute for hemp, in rope-making,
lacking its strength and durability. It retains moisture
when once wet, and is liable to rot.
Flax is used sometimes for deep-sea. sounding-lines,
though reeled piano wire has replaced it for this purpose
where great depths are measured.
Sail T^vrine is made of cotton or flax.
The size of ]Rope is denoted by its circumfer-
ence, and the length is measured by the fathom. The
cordage allowed in the ecjuipment of a man-of-war ranges
from IJ (15-thread) to 10 inches inclusive.
ROPE-MAKING.
In rope-making, the fibres of hemp, not averaging more
than three and a half feet in length, must necessarily be
overlapped among themselves and compressed together so
as not to be drawn apart. The required compression is given
by twisting, the fibres being continuously drawn out to-
gether, from a bundle, in the right quantity to produce the
required size of thread or yarn. 'Yarns are then combined
by twisting, and form a strand ; three or four strands, by
twisting, form a rope, and three or four ropes, a cable.
These successive steps, in each of which the twist is re-
versed, cause the strain to be more equally diffused among
the fibres than it would be if these were laid together in
sufficient quantity at once and twisted, and moreover, the ,
alternating directions given to the twist in the several oper-
ations, cause the different portions to bind upon themselves,
and form a permanently firm bundle. The fibres only once
twisted, make but a loose bundle, which, though decidedly
stronger than the same quantity made into a hard-twisted
rope, is not so durable nor so well adapted to the ordinary
purposes of rope.* The actual loss in strength, by twisting,
as found by trial, is about one-third the full strength of the
fibre; its loss in length, from the same cause, being also
one-third.
Rope is made in long buildings called rope-walks. The
size of the yarn varies according to the kind of rope for
which it is intended. Forties — so-called because forty varus
will just fill a half -inch tube — are for the finer kinds of rope ;
twenties, requiring twenty to fill the tube, are for cables,
hawsers, etc. From the spinning-room the bobbins contain-
ing the yarn are taken to the tar-house, where they are
placed in frames conveniently arranged with reference to
the tar-box. This is a long box filled with tar kept during
the operation of tarring at a temperature of 220° F. by means
* The wires which compose the cables of the E^t River Suspension Bridge,
N. Y., are not "laid up," or twisted, but are run straight and bound together.
26 ROPE.
of Steam heaters. The yarns are led from the bobbins in the
frame through two or more guide-plates working in a verti-
cal plane over the tar-box, and convenient for lowering into
the tar; thence to the farther end (between metal rollers,
which press out and return to the box the superfluous tar)
on to a large wooden drum to cool them ; through fair-lead-
ers, and finally to a fresh set of bobbins, where they are
wound up with the utmost regularity.
Rigging is so much exposed to moisture and heat that
hemp would soon decay if not protected. Tar, though really
injurious in its effects upon the hemp fibre, has been found
indispensable to its general preservation.
The manila fiber is cut to the required length, oiled,
drawn, and spun into yarns.
Vai*ietieK ol' R,ope« In rope-making the gen-
eral rule is to spin the nam from right over to left. All
rope yarns are therefore righi-hauded. The strand, or
ready, formed by a combination of suc^h yarns, becomes
left-handed. Three of these strands being twisted together
form a riifht-handed rope, known as plain-laid rope. Fig.
U, Plate 10.
AVliite Hope. Hemp rope, when plain-laid andi
not tarred in laying-up, is called white rope, and is the
strongest hemp cordage. It should not be confounded with
Manila. It is used for log-lines and signal halliards. The
latter are also made of yarns of untarred hemp, plaited by
machinery to avoid the kinking common to new rope of the
ordinary make. This is caWea '' plaited stuff, '^ or '^signal
halliard stuff J'
The tarred plain-laid ranks next in point of strength,
and is in more g^eneral use than any other. The lighter
kinds of standing rigging, much of the running rig-
ging, and many purchase falls are made of this kind of
rope.
Cal>le-l«icl oi* PlaTVssser-laicI H^ope, Fig. 15,
is left-handed rope of nine strands, and is so made to render
it impervious to water, but the additional twist necessary
to lay it up seems to detract from the strength of the fil^re,
the strength of plain-laid being to that of cable-laid* as
8.7 to 6; besides this, it stretches considerably under
strain.
I3a.ek-liMTi<led. H^ope. In making the plain
laid, it was said that the readies were left-handecl, the
yarns and the rope itself being right-handed. If, instead
of this, the readv is given the same twist the varn has
(right-handed), then, when brought together and laid up,
the rope must come left-handed. This is called left-handed
or hack-handed rope. It is more pliable than the plain-laid,
less liable to kinks and grinds when new, and is allowed, in
the navy, for reeving on lower and topsail bracers.
Shi-orwl-lnicl Kope,, Fig. 16, Plate 10, is formed
ROPE. 27
by adding another strand to the plain-laid rope. But the
four spirals of strands leave a hollow in the centre, which,
if unlSUed, would, on the application of strain, permit the
strands to sink in, and detract greatly from the rope's
strength, by an unequal distribution of strain. The tour
strands are, therefore, laid up around a hearty a small rope,
made soft and elastic, and about one-third the size of the
strands.
Experiments show that four-stranded rope, when under
5 inches, is weaker than three-stranded of the same size ;
but from 5 to 8 inches, the difference in strength of the two
kinds is trifling, while all above 8 inches is considered to be
equal to plain-laid when the rope is well made.
All hemp or manila rope aoove 3 inches now issued to
the Xavy is four stranded. All laniard stuff is four stranded.
The heart used in all rope is made of jute.
Tapered Il/ope is used where much strain is
brought on only one end. That part which bears the strain
is full-sized, tapering off to the hauling part, which is light
and pliable. Fore and main tacks and sheets are made of
tapered rope.
IVf £tiiil£|. I^ope seems to be better adapted to cer-
tain purposes on board ship than hemp, being more pliable,
buoyant, causing less friction, and not so easily affected by
moisttu-e. It is used for hawsers, tow-lines, and for light-
nmning rigging and gun-tackle falls.
Large hemp and manila cables have been generally re-
placed by steel wire hawsers ; the latter being much lighter,
stronger, and more durable.
liicle I^oi>e is made of strips cut by machinery from
green hides.
Bolt H^ope is the name applied to rope used for rop-
ing sails. It is made of the best hemp and finest yarns, and
is the most superior kind of cordage.
Small HtuflT is the general term applied to small
rope. It is particularized by tne number of threads or yarns
which it contains, and is further known either as ratline
stuff or seizing stuff.
Ratline StrxlT is three-stranded, right-handed
small sfcuflf of 24, 21, 18, 15 or 12 threads. It is measured by
the fathonoL.
Seizing- Stn£K Is of 9, 6, 4 or 2 threads, and is
measured by the pound. While all varieties of small stuff
may be spoken of as "24, 18, 9, &c., thread stuff," the
smaller varieties have ^Iso special names, according to
their number of threads and the manner of laying up.
We have : • „
Hambroline, two-stranded, right-handed, and
ft'Oiiiidliiie, three-stranded, right-handed. Both of
these are made of fine back or left-handed yams, so that
the stuff itself is right-handed.
2H ROPE.
>I Ai-line^ two-stranded, left-handed.
llonwliiie^ three-stranded, left-handed. Both of
these are made of finer dressed hemp, and have altogether
a neater, cleaner and smoother appearance than spun-
yam.
SpiMi-^^ara is also left-handed, and of two, three
or four strands.
^ For fine seizings and service, hambroline and roundline
(right-handed), or marline and housline (left-handed) are
the kinds of small stuff selected. For ordinary purposes,
spun-yam is used.
;Nettle«!*9 used for hanmiock clews, and where very
neat stops are required, are made by laying up two or three
yams in a taut twist with the thumb and fingers, and then
rubbing it down smooth.
Rumhowline is the name sometimes applied to coarse,
soft rope, made from outside yams, to be used for temporary
lashings, &c.
Rogue's Yam is a single untarred thread, sometimes
placea in the centre of the rope, or in the centre of each
strand, denoting government manufacture.
•Tiinl^: is supplied for the purpose of working up into
various uses — sucn as for swabs, spun-yarn; nettle-stuflf,
lacings, seizings, carinas, gaskets, &c. — of all of which the
supply, in proper kind, is generally inadequate. Good junk
is got out of such material as condemned hawsers — they
having been necessarily made of the best stuff, and con-
demned before being much injured. Old rigging makes
bad junk, not being condemned generally until much
worn.
Of the worst junk, swabs and spun-yarn should be
made ; of the best, nettle and seizing-stuff, lacings, earings,
&c.
Large junk, such as lengths of towlines, should be unlaid
before being put below, that it may admit of being snugly
stowed.
Hlisvkin^s! are odds and ends of yams and small
ropes, such as are found in the sweepings of the deck after
work. They are collected, put in a bag kept for the pur-
pose, and at certain times served out to the watch to be
Eicked into Oakum, a good supply of which should always
e on hand for any calking that may be required, for stuff-
ing jackasses, boat's fenders, &c.
«,opelIlalcel•'*^4 TVincli, Fig. is, Plate 10, gives
a general idea of the winch, in operation.
A loper is a swivel hook, Fi^. 17 (a), which, by revolving
freely, allows the strands to twine up together, by the twist
put in them as the top is withdrawn.
The top, Fig. 17 (b), is a conical piece of wood, scored on
the outside for the reception of the strands. Its use is to
keep the strands separate between it and the winch, and to
i
i
i
I
te
ROPE. 29
regulate the amount of twist in the rope behind it. by being
moved along either slowly or rapidly. When four-stranded
rope is required, a hole is bored through the centre, as a
lead for the heart.
Greixej*al .Uema.r'ks on ]Rox>e« The strength
of a rope-yam of medium size is equal to 100 lbs. , but the
measure of strength of a given rope is not, as might
naturally be supposed, 100 lbs. multiplied by the number of
yams contained in the rope. The twist given to the yarn,
after certain limits, diminishes its strength, as already
stated, and with the best machinery it is scarcely possible
that each yarn of the rope should bear its proper proportion
of strain. The difference in the average strength of a yam
differs with the size of the rope. Thus, in a 12-inch rope,
the average strength of each yarn is equal to 76 lbs., whereas,
in a rope of half an inch, it is 104 lbs.
Experiment has shown that by applying a constant, or
even frequent, strain equal to half its strength, the rope
will eventually break. This seems to be particularly the
case with cable-laid rope, which is the wealcest of all.
It has been ascertained that a good selvagee, carefully
made with the same number arid description of yams, as
the common three-stranded plain-laid rope, possesses about
the same degree of strength.
It has been shown by experiment, that where a span is
so placed as to form an angle less than 30 degrees, the
strength of the two parts of the rope or chain of which it is
composed, is less than the strength which one such part
would have if placed in a direct line with the strain.
Right-handed ropes are coiled down with the sun, or in
the direction pursued by the hands of a watch ; the left-
handed ropes, against the sun. An exception to this rule is
in the hemp cables and hawsers, which are left-handed and
are coiled away with the sun.
In taking out new ringing from a coil, the end should
be passed through the coil and coiled down against its lay
to get the turns out.
Avoid covering hemp rope with leather, especially
green hide, unless good and well-tarred parcelling be inter-
posed.
Rope contracts very considerably by wetting it. Ad-
vantage may be, and often is, taken of this, by wetting
lashings, which are required to be very taut and solid, and
are not. permanent, as the lashing of a garland on a lower
mast for taking it in or getting it out. For the same reason
in rainy weather, braces, halliards, sheets, clew-lines, and
other ngging requiring it, should be slacked up to save an
unnecessary strain on the rope, and avoid the risk of spring-
ing a yard or carrying something away.
Running rigging nas nothing to protect it from the
effects of tne weather, excepting, in hemp, the tar taken up
30 ROPE.
in the process of manufacturt\ and after being wet the air
should be allowed to circulate through it freely. Rope
should never be stowed away until thoroughly drv.
Running rigging, when not in actual use, should be kept
neatly coiled down near the pin to which it belays, taking
care always to capsize the coil that the running part may
be on top, so that it may run clear. In port, during good
weather, the rigging may be coiled down in flemish coils,
that is, perfectly flat, as soon as the decks are dry enough
in the morning, and left so until the decks are cleared up at
seven bells in the afternoon, when the ends should be run
out, the rope coiled down snugly and triced up in readiness
for washing decks in the momine.
When scrubbing clothes or hammocks, soap at times
unavoidably gets on the rigging : it should be carefully
washed oflE oefore the decks are dry.
One rope may be rove by another by putting the two
ends togetner, and worming three yams or pieces of spun-
yam in the lay for three or four inches on each side, and
clove-hitching the ends around the rope, or opening the
strands and laying them in. This is always done when
reeving new braces by old ones, and with running rigging
generfiuly.
Rule to Find the Approximate Strength of Tarred
Rope. — Divide the circumference of the rope by 3 and mul-
tiply the quotient by circumference will give breaking point
in tons, very near. Example: Say 8" — 8-r-3=2.(i(i x8=21^
tons; 2,240=47,786 lbs. Proof by yarns in rope: Yarns in
rope, 426; 8 in 426 x 112=47,712 lbs.
^W^ire H^ope for use in the Navy is manufactured
at the Boston Navy Yard. It is made of galvanized steel
wire A. W. G.* Nos. 24 to 12. All wire is supplied in con-
tinuous coils of not less than 4,000 feet. Annealed wire is
required to stand a strain of 80,000 lbs. per square inch;
hard wire a strain of 175,000 to 200,000 per square inch.
The process of making wire rope is the same in principle as
that of making hemp rope. The wires taking the place of
the yarns. The wires are laid up into strands, each strand
having a heart, sometimes of wire, sometimes of jute. The
strands are then laid up, around a heart, into rope. Wire
rope is six-stranded plain laid, the size and number of the
wires varying with the size of the rope to be made, as in
the following types :
Type A, When strength, rather than flexibility is re-
quired. To be made of plain laid, hard, galvanized wire,
six core wires, and twelve wrap wires. Type A includes
all articles coming under the head of standing rigging,
shrouds, baclj:stays, fore and aft stays, catharpin legs,
reefing jack stays, bitt and deck stoppers, boat spans and
guys, peak and throat spans, triatic stays and spans, pre-
♦ American Wire Gage.
ROPE. 31
venter slings, winding pendants, water whip stays and
pendants.
Type B. When strength and flexibility are both required.
To be made of plain laid, hard, galvanized steel wire, as in
type A, except that the core wires are omitted and a jute
hemp or cotton heart tarred or greased substituted. The
following articles are made from this type : trysail ladders,
swinging boom and stern ladders and pendants, grab ropes,
swinging boom topping lifts, yard lifts, topsail runners, par-
rels and tyes, vang pendants, jib and staysail pendants,
sea anchor bales, ridge ropes, foot ropes for awnings.
Type C. When great flexibility is required. To be made
w^ithout core wires as in type B, but with a greater number
of wrap wires. The following articles are made from this
type: hogging lines for collision mats, wheel ropes, boats
rigging, etc.
Type D. Annealed wire to be used for special purposes,
such as scow lines, seizings, etc. To be laid plain or other-
wise.
Directions for fitting wire rigging. All standing rig-
ging, after being put on a stretch, is to be covered with a
good coat of red lead, mixed with boiled linseed oil then
wormed, parcelled with dry parcelling, and again red leaded
and served over all and throughout. Rigging below 2 inches
to be served with marline, from 2 inches to 3J^ inches to be
served with house-line, larger sizes to be served with round-
line. All nips and around thimbles to be doubly served.
Fore and aft stays to be leathered in collars and nips.
In splicing in thimbles, etc., there must be a seizing be- ^
tween the thimble and first tuck. Splices must be tucked
whole twice, then half, then quarter.
All spans and guys to be served throughout and fitted
with shackles in one end and an oblong or wire thimble in
the other. Lower lifts and boom topping lifts to be served
throughout. Boom pendants and ladders, stern pendants
and ladders to be served throughout, leathered around thim-
bles, the sides of the ladders to be covered with 8-ounce cot-
ton duck between the leather, the duck to come under the
ends of the leather, the end to be secured by a seizing of ^^
inch wire. Boom pendants to be fitted the same as ladders.
Trysail ladders to be served throughout and set up with
brass tumbuckles; boom, stern and trysail ladders are to
have galvanized iron rungs 13 inches long and | inch
diameter.
Deck stoppers to be double served throughout ; fitted with
an iron toggle at one end and a hook \ larger than the cable
at the other end. The toggle to be leathered. The toggle
end to be leathered over the serving one foot and provided
with a manila lanyard 3 fathoms long. Bitt stoppers to be
fitted at the forward end the same as deck stoppers. Ridge
82 ROPE.
ropes and foot ropes for awnings to be served throughout
and set up with turnbuckles.
Grab ropes to be served throughout and covered with 8-
ounce cotton ravens, the ends to be fitted the same as boom
pendants and laciders.
All parcelling used on wire rope must be of cotton sheet-
ing of the best quality, unbleached, closely woven, and free
from sizing of any kind.
To replace hemp or manila by steel wire rope, take wire
rope whose circumference is three-eighths of that of the liemp
or manila.
/
CHAPTER I V.
KNOTTING, SPLICING. ETC.
To Klnot It It ope ^"arn. Fig. 10, Plate 11.
Split in halves the two ends of a rope-yarn, scrape them
down with a knife, crotch and tie the two opposite ends ;
jam the tie and trim off the ends.
An Ovei*-liaiicl I-tnot, Fig. 20, Plate 11.
JS^ t^igxii-e-ot-Ei^lit TLn^yt^ Fig. 21, Plate 11.
A. H^eef lilnot. Fig. 2:5, Plate 11. This knot is
used in tying reef points and small stuff generally. Observe
to bring the end out next its own part, otherwise it will be
a Granny's Knot, which jams and is difficult to cast off.
A I3o\;\--I^ine Klnot, Fig 20, Plate 11.
-^V R^unning^ Bovr-T^ine lilnot. Fig 28, Plate
11. Take the end of a rope, Fig. 27, round the standing part
(b) and through the bight (c) ; make the single bow-line
knot upon the part (d), and it is done.
A. Xio^w-Line linot upon the Bight of a Rope,
Fiff. 30, Plate 12. Take the bight (a) in one hand, Fig. 29,
and the standing parts (b) in the other ; throw a kink or
Cuckold's Neck over the bight (a) with the standing parts,
the same as for the single knot ; take the bi^ht (a) over the
large bights (c, c), bringing it up again : it will then be
complete, Fig. 30. The Best way to sling a man by a bow-
line is to shorten up one of the lower bights, using the
lower part as a seat and putting the arms through the part
next aoove.
A. r*roloiig-e Klnot, Fig. 31, Plate 12.
A. BoAV-line KLnot, formed with a bight to hook
into, as in Fig. 2 is, Plate 33, is used for heavy pulls, on the
ends of rigging luffs, by riggers. Fig, 7l>, Plate 17, shows
an ordinary bow-line knot formed over a ring-bolt to make
a temporary stopper. Shove the bight through the ring-
bolt, take a half hitch with the short end over the bight,
then pass the short end through the bight. A handy knot
when you wish to use a short end of a long coil.
A'^Wall-Klnot, Figs. 32 and 33, Plate 12.
To Ci-o^-n this knot. Figs. 34 and 3o, Plate 1 2.
This is called a Single Wall, and Hinijle Crown,
To I>oixl>le->Vall this knot. Fig. 36, Plate 13. Take
one of the ends of the single crown, suppose the end (b),
bring it underneath the part of the first walling next to it,
and push it up through the same bi^ht (d) ; perform this
operation with the other strands, pushing them up through
• »»>
'J4 KNOTTING.
two bights, and the knot will appear like Fig. 30, having a
Double Wall and Single Crown.
To II>ovil>le-d*o\;\"i:i the same knot, Fig. 37, Plate
13. Lay the strands by the sides of those in the single
crown, pushing them through the same bights in the single
crown, and down through tne double wallmg ; it will then
be like Fig. 37, viz. single walled, single crowned, double
walled, and double crowned. The nrst walling must always
be made against the lay of the rope : the parts will then lie
fair for the double crown. The ends are scraped down,
tapered, marled, and served with spun yarn. Tnis knot is
often used for the ends of man-ropes, and hence frequently
called a Man-rope Knot,
>IattlieAV Walker's linot. Fig. 39, Plate
13. This knot is made bv separating the stranas of a rope,
Fig. 38, taking the end (1) round the rope, and through its
own bight, the end (2) unaerneath through the bight of the
first, and through its own bight, and the end (3) underneath,
through the bights of the strands (1 and 2), and through its
own bight. Haul them taut, and they form the knot. Fig.
39. The ends are cut off. This is a handsome knot for the
end of a laniard, and is generally used for that purpose.
.A^ Siiig-1^ iVXattliew AVallcev, Figs. ^Q and
41, Plate 13. It should have a leather washer around its
neck when exposed to chafe.
A. Singfle ir>iamoii<l T^iiot, Fig. 43, Plate 14.
Unlay the end of a plain-laid rope for a considerable length.
Fig. 42, and with tne strands form three bights down its
side, holding them fast. Put the end of strand (1) over
strand (2), and through the bight of strand (3), as in the
figure ; then put the strand (2) over strand (3), and through
the bight formed by the strand (1), and the end of (3) over
(1), and through the bight of (2). Haul these taut, lay the
rope up again, and the knot will appear like Fig. 43. This
knot is used for the side ropes, jib guys, bell ropes, &c.
J^ Doiible I>ia.iiioiicl lilnot, for the same
purpose. Fig. 44, Plate 14. With the strands opened out
again, follow the lead of the single knot through two single
bights, the ends coming out at the top of the knot, and lead
the last strand through two double bights. Lay the roue
up again as before, to where the next knot is to be made,
and it will appear like Fig. 44.
A- Spi-it-Sail Hli€-et Ii:not, Fig. 47, Plate 14.
A. Stoi>pov lV>i* a Htr-anclecl Ii^^'oot I^oi>o
ox* a LeecMi P^ope, Fig. 48, Plate 15. This is made
by double walling, without crowning, a three-stranded rope,
against the lay, and stopping the ends together, as in tht*
figure. The ends, if very short, are whipped without being
stopped.
A. Stoppc^i' lilnol: on the end of a deck stopper is
>
KNOTTING. 35
made as in Fig. 49, by a single crown and single wall. The
ends are whipped singly and cut off. A deck stopper has a
laniard spliced around the neck of the knot, and a nook and
thimble spliced in the other. When made of wire rope, a
deck stopper is fitted as in Fig. 50, where an iron toggle is
spliced into the end of the stopper in place of the knot.
A. Shi^oud Ji^not. unlay tne ends of two ropes,
Fig. 51, placing them one within tne other, drawing them
close as for splicing ; then single-wall each set of ends —
those of one rope, ag^ainst the lay (i. e. from left to right if
the rope be cable-laid, as in the figiire), round the standing
part of the other. The ends are then opened out, tapered,
marled down, and served with spun-yam. This knot is
used when a shroud is either shot or carried away. Fig. 54
and Fig. 55.
A. French Sliroud Klnot. Place the ends of
two ropes as before, Fig. 61, drawing them close. Laying
the ends on one side back upon their own part, single-
wall the remaining ends around the bights of the other
three and the standing part, and it will appear as in Fi^.
52. When hauled taut, it appears as in Fig. 53. The enas
are tapered, &c., as before. This knot is as secure as the
other, and much neater.
HITCHES.
Hitoliing: a Hope, Fig. 50, Plate 15. This is
called a Half-hitch, Two of these, one above the other.
Fig. 57, are called Two Half-hitches or a Clove-hitch. Fig.
58 represents a half -hitch around a spar; Fig. 50, Plate 10,
a clove-hitch, with a ratline around a shroud.
A Timber— Hitch, Figs. 00 and 01, Plate 10.
A. H^ound Turn a^nd a Half-Hitch, Fig.
02, Plate 10. Used for bending a hawser to the ring of an
anchor.
A. Timl>eir and Half-Hiitch, Fig. 03, Plate
16. Used for bending a line to a spar, for towing, &c.
A. Hlackwall Hitch, Fig. 05, Plate 10. This is
sometimes used with a laniard, when setting up the shrouds.
A. r>oTil>le Black^vall Hiitch, Fig. (W;, Plate
10. It is better, however, to use a strap when a heavy strain
is expected.
A. Cat's I^a^v is used for the same purpose as the
double blackwall hitch. Fig. 70, Plate 10.
• A. Sheep Shank, Fig. 71, Plate 17. This is made*
for shortening a back-stay, &c.
A. H^ollin^ Hiitch, Fig. 73, Plate 17. This is a
good hitch for a stopper, as it will not slip, and is in very
general use. Fig. 74, Plate 10, shows how a stopper is
passed, one of the hitches being omitted.
36 HITCHING.
A. TMEai'ling-Spilce Tliteli, Fig. 75, Plate 17.
Always used in heaving on seizings. The spike is used as
a pry, to heave the seizing taut.
A HariieHH ITitcli, Fig. 76, Plate 17.
A. TVIarlingr Hitcli, Fig. 77, Plate 1 7, is used in
marling down the yams left out from a splice ; for the mar-
ling put over parcelling ; and for making selvagee straps,
&c. It is the same as used for lashing up hammocks, Fig.
78, where seven such turns are allowed.
A. AVeavei-'K Hitcli. See Sheet-Bend,
Uitcliiiigr tlie Iilncl oi* ix H/Ope. Trim the
end off with a knife to the shape of a cone ; then, with a
sail-needle and twine, stitch it around with a loop-stitch,
first taking a few round turns with the twine. When
finished it will resemble Fig. 80, Plate 17. All running
rigging have the ends hitched to prevent unlaying, as in
the figure, instead of the ordinary whipping. All the gun-
tackle falls should have their ends hitcnea, as it is neater
and better than the ordinary whipping.
To Hitch ovei- a H^ingr-l^olt, Fig. HI, Plate
17.
IKa.elitliiig', Fig. H4, Plate 18. To prevent ghafe,
secure one end and hitch right and left handed, alternately.
BENDS.
.A. Slieel T^encl oi- Sing*!^ Uencl, Fig. 85,
Plate IS. It is sometimes called also a Becket-hend, some-
times a Weaver's Hitch.
jK. T3ovxl:>le liencl. Fig. S7, Plate IS, is simply tak-
ing the end around a second time. The single bend is the
most common one in use. The standing part of most pur-
chase falls are thus secured to the becket in tlie strap of the
purchase block, as in Fig. 80.
jV. I^iKliei-iixan'w Bend, Fig. SS. Plate IS. This
is sometimes used for bending the studding-sail halliards to
the yard, but more frequently for bending a hawser to the
ring of an anchor, in which case the end should be stopped
down with spun-yarn. Fig. 81*.
i Tlie Stviclding^ Sail I lalliai-cl I^eiid, Fig.
IM), Plate IS, is preferred to all others for bending halliards
to yards, as it is safe and snug.
"J^ Cai-i-ick Bencl, Fig. 1)2, Plate 18. This bend
is much used for hawsers.
Hawnevs^ are sometimes bent together thus. Fig. 03,
Plate 18; the hawser has a half -hitch cast on it, a throat
seizing clapped on the standing part (b^ and a round one at
(a). Another hawser is rove througn the bight of this,
hitched in the same manner, and seized to tne standing
part (d, e).
CLINCHES — SPLICING. '57
And frequently the ends of two ropes (a, c), Fig. 04, Plate
18, are laid together : a throat seizing is clapped on at (e),
the end (a) is tumed back upon the standing part (b), and
the standing part (d) brought back to (c) ; another throat
seizing is put on each, as at (f ), Fig. 95, and a round seizing
near tne end at (g) ; the same security is placed on the
other side.
A- Ifceevinjsr Line Beiid9 Fig. 96, Plate 18, may
also be used for small hawsers.
In any case of bending hawsers, towlines, &c., the end
should bi securely stoppid down With spuA-yarii, using
racking turns if much strain is anticipated.
The best bend for a hawser to a kedge is a Fisherman's
bend. Fig. 102, Plate 19, or a round turn and a couple of
half-hitches, Fig. 101, with the end stopped down with
spun-yarn.
CLINCHES.
The clinch is made like Fig. 97, Plate 1 0 ; the end of a
bridle or leech line, for example, is rove through the cringle
(f), taken round the standing part (e), forming a circle ; two
round seizings (d) are then clapped on. The clinch on any
rope is always made less than the cringle, &c., through
which the rope is rove.
There is an outside clinch, Fig. 98, Plate 19 ; and an
inside clinch. Fig. 99.
To Bend a Hemp Cable, use an inside clinch. The end
of the cable (a). Fig. 100, Plate 19, is taken over and under
the bight (b), forming the shape of the clinch, which must
not be larger than the ring of tne anchor (d). The seizings
(c), which are called the bends, are then clapped on and
crossed.
SPLICING.
Ropes are joined together, for dilBferent purposes, by
uniting their strands in particular forms, which is termed
Splicing. A splice is made by opening, and separating the
strands of a rope's end, and thrusting them through the
others which are not unlaid. Ropes reeving through olocks
are joined by a long splice, otherwise a short splice is used.
Tlie splice is weaker than the main part of the rope by about
one-eighth. The instruments used for this are Fids, Mar ling-
Spikes, and Prickers.
In addition, for working with wire rope are the follow-
ing : Hack-saws, Marling-spikes with flat end ; Pinchers with
flat nibs, pinchers with round nibs. Wire-cutters, or nip-
¥3rs; Cold-chisel, Heavers, (a) Fig. 290, Plate 28. Dogs, and
uming-in-Machine, Fig. 292.
38 SPLICING.
I9 Fig. 231, Plate 23. From 2 to 3 feet of chain,
from 1-8 to 3-8 in. diameter, with a ring in one end, and a
hook on the other.
Fid, Fig. 103, Plate 10. Made of hard wood or metaL
jVIaT-liiig--Spik:e. Is shaped like Fig. 104, Plate 19.
Made of metal and has a round hole in the upper end through
which a laniard is rove.
j\. Fi-icker is made of metal, hard wood, or bone,
and is used for light work,
An E^^e-Splice, Fig. 106, Plate 19, is made by
opening the end of a rope, and laying the strands (e, f , g)
at any distance upon the standing part forming the Collar
or Eye (a). The end (h), Fi^. 107, is pushed through the
strand next to it (having previously opened it with a mar-
ling-spike) ; the end (i) is taken over the same strand, and
through the second. Fig. 108 ; and the end (k) through the
third, on the other side. Fig. 110. After sticking the ends
once, one-hall of the yams may be cut away from the under
part of the strands, and the remainder stuck again, in
order to taper the splice and make it neater. In a four-
stranded rope, the left-hand end lies under two strands.
Fig. 111.
A. Slioi*t Splice. To splice the two ends of a rope
together, proceed thus : Unlay the strands for a con-
venient length ; then take an end in each hand, place them
one within the other. Fig. 112, Plate 20, and draw them
close. Hold the strands (a, b, c) and the end of the rope (d)
fast in the left hand, or it the rope be large, stop them
down with a rope-yarn ; then take the middle end (1), pass
it over the strand (a), and having opened it with the thimib,
or a marling-spike, Fig. A, push it through under the
strand (c), and haul it taut. Perform the same operation
with the other ends, by leading them over the first and
next to them, and through under the second, on both sides ;
the splice will then appear like Fig. 113 ; but in order to
render it more secure, the work must be repeated ; leading
the ends over the third and through the fourth j or the ends
may be untwisted, scraped down with a knife, tapered,
marled, and served over with spun-yam.
When there is to be no service used, the ends should be
stuck twice each way, otherwise once and a half is
sufl&cient. In anchor straps, and heavy straps generally,
the ends are stuck twice and not trimmed off but tvhipped.
In whipping the strands they should be split and one
part of each whipped, or seized, with one part of another so
as to enclose a strand of the rope on each side of which they
appear.
Al. Slioi*t Splice with a Foui'-Sti-iincled
.ope. Fig. 114, Plate 20.
TTlie Long: Spliee,, Fi^^ 115. Plate 20.
j\. iJwt ox- 13ig-lit Splice, Fig. 120. Plate 21.
Plate 20
SPLICING. 39
norHe-Shoe Spliee9 or span-splice. Fig. 121,
is formed hv splicing the two ends of a piece of rope into
each side of the bight of another rope, where an eye is to be
formed. The len^h of rope used is one-third the length of ^
the eye required, with twice the round of the rope on each
end, in addition, for splicing.
To Loiig"-Spliee a Three stud a Fonr-
Stranded Itope Tog-etliei^ Unlay the ends of
the two ropes to a sumcient length and crotch them ; unlay
one strana of the three-stranded, and fill the space with a
strand of the four-stranded rope ; then unlay a strand of
the four and fill up from the three-stranded rope ; there re-
mains two strands of the foui, and one of the three ; divide
the single strand by taking out one-third, with which knot
to one of the remaining pair, then unlav the other one, and
fill up with the remaining two-thirds ; knot and stick once,
stretch well, and trim off.
Another way is to work three strands as usual, and stick
the fourth strand where it lies. The first plan is the better.
To Short-Splice a Thx^ee and a l^^ovii^-
Sti*aTided IRope. Unlay the ends, and divide one
of the three strands m half, making four strands, and pro-
ceed to splice.
Z^erigt:heiiiiig' a H/Ope ^with an Addi-
tional Strand, Fig. 122, Plate 21. Cut a strand at 1,
unlay until you come to 2, and cut another strand;
unlay both to 3 (equal to the distance from 1 to 2, or there-
abouts), and there cut the last strand ; separate the parts,
and they will appear as in Fig. 122, B. Measure off the in-
creased len^h required from 1, mark it (a), and brin^ the
end of the left-hand piece (b) down to (a), and lay it in.
The second strand, at 2, must have been cut sufficiently far
from (a^ to allow end enough for knotting and laying in.
Twist tne ends (c and b) up together ready for knotting, on
finishing the splice, and (a and e) in the same manner for
the present : the splice will then have the appearance repre-
sented in Fig. 122, c. Cut a piece of rope, and unlay a
strand sufficiently long to fill in the vacant lay between
(f and g), and to knot with the ends (f , g) ; lay the strand
in, and finish off as with an ordinary long-splice, from
which it will only differ in appearance by its having four
breaks in the rope instead of three. In putting in the long
strand, care must be taken to follow the lay along cor-
rectly, or it will not tally with the ends (f, g), with which
it knots.
If it is required to give a sail more spread by inserting a
cloth, the head and foot rope must be lengthened in this
way. For all sizes of rope, take eight times the round for
splicing, in addition to what is wanted to lengthen the
rope. To lengthen two feet, cut the strands tliree feet
apart : and the additional strand must be over nine feet long.
40 SPLICING.
To Shorten a H^ope in the Ceni:i*€3.
Proceed precisely as in the previous case ; but, instead of
separating strand (b) from 1, bringing it down to (a), take
it up on 1 as far as you require to reduce the rope. No
additional strand is used, so Knot (b, f), (d, g), ana (e, c) :
finish oflf the ends, and in appearance it diflcers in no way
from the common long-splice.
To Spliee a Slope arovincl a Thimblo^
Whip the rope at twice and a half its circumference from
the end. The length to go round the thimble should be
once the round of the thimble, and once the round of the
rope, from the whipping to where the first strand is to be
struck. If the splice is not to be served, whip the ends of
the strands, to prevent them from opening out into yams,
and stick them twice, whole strand. If to be served, after
one half of each strand is put through, it is cut oflf, and the
other half is opened out, wormed along the lay, and marled
down. Parcel the thimble.
A. Flen\iHh Eye, Fig. 125. Plate 22.
-A. Grrommet, Fig. 131, Plate 22, is made by unlay-
ing a strand of a rope. Fig. 130, placing one part over the
other, and with the long end (f) following tne lay till it
forms the ring. Fig. 131, casting an over-hand knot on the
two ends, and, if necessary, splitting and pushing them
between the strands, as in the long splice. The test of a
well-made grommet is, to throw it on the deck when it
should lie perfectly flat. Worn or four-stranded rope makes
the best. For CTommet straps for yard or block, take three
times the round of yard or block and three times the round
of the thimble, allowing six times the round of the rope
for splicing. The length to marry the strands is, once tne
round of the block and thimble.
A^i\ .A.x-tilieial or- Si>in<lle E^ye, Fig. 126.
A\"oT"li:inor a d'ing-Ie in ti l-{oj>e. Unlay
a single strand from a rope of the size that the cringle is
required to be ; begin on the left, and put this strand under
two strands of the rope you are working it on ; divide it
into thirds and haul two-thirds of it through, so that the
long leg is from you ; lay the two parts up together so as
to form sufficient for the round of tne cringle, out always
with an odd number of turns, ending witn the long leg
towards you. Fig. 132, Plate 24 ; stick it from vou under two
strands ; bring it round and work back to tne left : put it
under two strands towards you, leaving one strand, inter-
vening between the place you entered it, then back over
one, and down under two, Fig. 133. Now tuck the short
end in under the same two strands in the rope that the
cringle is already worked through, then over one, and
under two ; cut the ends oflf, and serve the cringle
over.
If a cringle is to be worked into the leech of a sail, the
V
l-'iB.iaa FlB.143
SPLICING. 41
strand is taken round the rope and through the eyelet-hole
in the sail, Fig. 134, Plate 24, and the ends are finished off
by taking a hitch round all, and then passed under two,
over one, and under two, as before.
The following are the splices used in working wire rope.
Remember always to tuck the whole strand twice, then a
half, then a quarter.
K;v'e Splic»e in ^Vire H^ope. (As for splicing
in a liook and thimble). Clap on a marline whipping two feet
from the end of the rope, and a similar whipping fifteen
inches farther along. Get the rope on a stretch, paint,
ivorm, parcel, point, again serve between the whippings,
and mark the centre of the eye. Now, break the rope around
the thimble, first by hand, then in the turning-in-machine.
Fig. A, Plate 41), bringing both ends of the service together.
Clap on a good figure-of-eight seizing, around both parts of
the rope and through the thimble ; then take off the turning-
in-machine. Unlay and open out the strands to the first
whipping, cutting out the heart close to the service. Count-
ing to the left, with the hook of the thimble toward j'ou,
tuck No. 4 strand first. Enter the point of a marling-spike
from right to left under two strands of the rope about one
inch from the service and clear of the heart. Push or driv(»,
the spike in about two-thirds of its length, and hammer the
two strands down on both sides of it to prevent their spring-
ing out when the spike is withdrawn. Pull out the spike,
take strand No. 4, throw a half turn in it, stick it under the
two strands, and with a quick jerk to the left and toward
you bring it in place, then give it a pull from you parallel
with the rope. In the same manner, and always under two,
and over one strand, tuck Nos. 5, 3, G, 2 and 1. Tuck onc^e
again, whole, conmiencing with any strand, tucking over
one and under two. Now, with the dog and heavers, heave
each strand in place, beginning with the first one tucked.
Then hammer down the tucks, tuck half of each strand,
heave in place and hammer down, then tuck one quarter
and finish off. Get splice on a stretch, cut off ends of wires,
hammer down the eye and seize in the thimble. Clap on a
round seizing with nine lower and eight upper tm-ns of the
Kuizing stuff.
Hhoi*t: Splice in AVii*e Il.c>p<*. Clap on a mar-
line whipping three feet from the end of one of the ropes to be
spliced; and a similar one two feet from the end of the other
piece. Unlay, and open out, the strands on both pieces, cut
out both hearts, close to the whipping; marry the ends,
heaving them well together. Put a stout whipping around
all the short strands, binding them close around the rope ;
cut the whipping around the short piece and commence to
tuck the long strands as in the eye splice. Twice whole,
and heave in place; once a half, and heave in; once a
[
42 SPLICING.
quarter, and break off the wires and hammt^r down. Then
do the same with the short strands.
Long- Splice in "Wire P^ope. Put on a mar-
line whipping eight feet from the end of one piece of rope,
and a similar whipping on the other piece two feet from the
end. Unlay, and open out, the strands ; cut the hearts out
close to the whipping and draw the two ends together by
hand as closely as possible. Secure a dog around all but one
strand of the short end, and another do^ around all but one
of the long strands ; and, with heavers, jam both ropes close
together. Cut the whipping on the short end, unlay the loose
short strand and follow it up with the loose long strand,
leaving one foot of the strand for knotting. Come up the
dogs and leaving out another long and short strand, clap
dogs around the remaining strands and proceed as before,
laying these strands to within one foot of the first pair.
The second pair left out should be those exactly opposite
the first pair, in order to bind both ropes close together.
Continue in the same manner with the other strands, leav-
ing one foot between each pair of strands. Commence to
knot from the point where the ropes come together. Take
these two strands overhand, knot them, and l)y means of
dogs and heavers on each strand heave the knot taut in the
lay ; tap with a hammer on each side of the knot to prevent
slipping. Come up and take oflE the dogs, divide each of the
strands just knotted into three equal parts and open them
out, close to the knot, tuck these separately over the same
strand and into the lay, the first one to the left, under one
strand, the second under two strands, and the third under
three. Finish up the other strands in the same manner.
Beat down the knots and tucks with a hammer; get the
splice on a stretch and cut the ends of the wires off close to
the rope, and with a hammer, and the point of a spike, tap
the projecting wires down out of sight into the lay of the
rope.
The Splicing- Beiicli^ Fig. 21K), Plate 23. For
convenience in handling wire rope, some rigging lofts are
supplied with splicing benches, which are large tables of
hard wood, plated with iron on the top and sides.
The top of the bench is pierced with holes, into which
may be set steel standards or *'normans,'' by which the
rope is steadied on a stretch. Similar holes are made in
the sides of the tables to receive smaller pins.
SEIZINGS, POINTINGS, GRAFTING, MOUSING, ETC.
Seizing* a rope, is binding the two parts together with
spun-yam, house-line, marline, or small stuff.
All seizing stuff should be well stretched before use.
J^ Sp£iiiisbL ^V^^indlasis, Fig. 135 (a), Plate 24, is
f
SEIZING. 4B
used for heaving two parts of a shroud, or any rope requir-
ing it, together at the nip, before passing the seizing, and
for many similar purposes.
A. Round Seiziner, Figs. 136, i:37, and 138, Plate
24; and Figs. 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 14(5, Plate 25. Used
for eyes of lower rigging, &c.
A. Tlxx*oat ^0121x13*9 Fig. 140, Plate 25, is put on
when ropes cross,- and is passed with riding turns, but not
crossed
Ra.ckin^ Seizing, Fig. 147, Plate 25. This seiz-
ing is generally made use of in seizing two parts of rope
together temporarily, but very securely.
A. Flat Seizing- is commenced the same as a round
seizing, but, on the end being rove through the eye, it is
finished off at once with a reef-knot without any riding
turns.
A. Cnclcolcl^s IVeclc, ox* Half Cx^own, is
formed as Fig. 148, Plate 25, with a round seizing. Used when
ropes are fitted for going over a spar, as in Fig. 149, at a.
A. K.OMe Seizing", oi* X^ose L<a>sliing', Figs.
150 and 151, Plate 26, is used when rigging is lashed to
yards, etc., such as foot-ropes, &c. It is passed alternately
over and under each part of the eye, and the end passed
around the crossings instead of cutting it off.
Stopping:^ IS fastening two parts of a rope together,
like a round seizing, but not crossed.
]Vii>pex4ng*9 is making fast the two parts of a lan-
iard or tackle-fall, while the purchase is fleeted. The turns
are taken crossways, Fig. 152, between the parts to jam
them; and frequently a round turn is taken over the
laniard, before every cross : these are called racking turns.
Riders are passed over these, and the end fastened with a
round turn and half hitch, or with a clove hitch, to a part of
the laniard or fall.
WORMING, SERVING, POINTING, GRAFTING, MOUSING.
Spxin-"\rax*n is used for Worming, Serving, Seizing,
&€., as a general rule, but Hamhroline, Rounding, and small
seizing stuff is frequently substituted.
Tvorniing- a itope is filling up the division
between the strands (called the lay of the rope) bypassing
spun-yam, &c., along them. Fig. 153. This is done in order
to render its surface smooth for parcelling.
Worming is in length about once and a half the length
of the rope to be wormed, for each piece.
Pax^celling- a litope^ is wrapping strips of old
canvas round it, well tarred, with edge overlapping, which
prepares it for serving and secures it from being injured by
rain-water lodging between the parts of the service when
44 SEIZING.
worn, Fig. 150. Parcel with the lay, if s(Tvic(> is to be used,
otherwise against it.
Sei'vice is put on to protect the rope from chafe and
the influence of the weather. It is clapped on by a wooden
mallet, Fig. 154, made for the purpose.
The rope is first bowsed hand-taut by a tackle, then
wormed. The end of the spun-yarn for the service is laid
upon the rope, and two or three turns passed round the rope
and over it (the end), hauling them very taut. The mallet
is laid with its groove upon the rope. Fig. 150; a turn of the
spun-yarn is taken round the rope and the head of the mal-
let, close to the last turn which was laid by hand; another
is passed in the same manner, and a third also on the fore
part of the mallet, leading up round the handle (i), which
the rigger holds in his hand. The service is alwaijs passed
against the lay of the rope, so that as the latter stretches,
the tension of the former is not much decreased. A boy
holds the ball of spun-yarn (k), at some distance from tlie
man who is serving, and passes it round, as he turns the
mallet, by which he is not retarded in the oi)eration. The
end is put through the three or four last turns of the service,
and hauled taut.
"Wliippinj? «. P^ope, Fig. 157, Plate 26, is done
to prevent the end from fagging out.
^V Sailmaliei-'s^ ^\^liii>i>iiig- is put on with a
needle and twine — a reef point has such a whipping. Pass
a stitch through the point, take several turns, stick through
again, and pass cross turns from one end of whipping to the
other in the direction of the lay of the rope.
CROWNING, POINTING, SNAKING.
Cr-ovi^iiirigr tlie end ol' a Xl^ope is a rough
substitute for a whipping. With the three strands form a
crown, then stick the end once or twice as in splicing.
To Ci^ov^ii a Ilawnei*. Put a stout whipping
on the hawser, a suflScient distance from the end to allow
for crowning. Unlay the strands to the whipping, and lay
the three inside, or heart strands up together. Then form
the crown with the three outside ones, taking them above,
and covering the remaining three, which, with the heart
strands, should be whipped, and cut off even. Lastly, worm
the ends of the crowning strands back into the lay of the
hawser, and clap stout smooth seizings close up to the crown,
and at the extremity of the worming. Sometimes an arti-
ficial eye is formed with the inner strands.
To l^oint IX Xlope, Figs. IGO and C, Plate 2f;.
SnAkin^ is for the better securing of a seizing, which
is passed round the single part of a rope, and therefore can-
not be crossed. It is done by taking the end part under and
Fig. isa I
PUDDING FENDERS. 45
over the lower and upper turns of the seizing. Fig. 10 1,
Plate 26.
Pointiiiiar ^^ I^ai'gr^ Ha^wser*. Clap on a
whipping of three-yarn nettle-stuflf, snaked. Open out the
strands, lay the heart up three-stranded, and splice a becket
into it, which has previously been eye-spliced into its own
part. Lay the outside yarns up into five-yarn sennet : use,
for filling, a two-yam fox ; ana continue as already snown
Fig. 162, Plate 27.
Cross Pointing-, Figs. 163a and l(>:3b, Plate 27.
Hitoh.iiig' is a very convenient method for covering
boats' awning-stanchions. Fig. 164, Plate 27.
PUDDING FENDERS, OR DOLPHINS.
Piiclding- FeTicleT*«9 oi* I>olpliins, are used
in the navy for launches, being placed outside the boat just
under the gunwale, and permanently secured there.
A piece of rope of the required lenj^h is cut, and an eye
spliced in each end, by means of which it is set up to small
evebolts under the gunwale ; the rope is then marked where
the puddings are to be worked. W orm the rope and form
the puddings with any old stuff, such as old strands laid
lengthwise along the rope, raising the pile in the centre and
scraping off the ends to a taper. Oi* make a tapering pud-
ding by winding spun-yarn around the rope. In forming
the puading, the sides intended to be next to the boat are
flat, and the outer sides a half round.
When formed to the required shape, parcel the pudding
and graft it over, as in Fig. lG5a, or cover with leather, as
in Fig. 1656.
The whole fender is commonly known as a dolphin.
FOXES-GASKETS-TURK'S HEAD.
Foxes for gaskets, &c., are made by taking a number
of rope-yarns, from three upwards, according to the size
intended, and twisting them on the knee, rubbing them
well backwards and forwards with a piece of canvas.
Spanish foxes are made by twisting single rope-yarns back-
handed in the same manner.
Cjraslcetw, Fig. 167, Plate 27, are made by taking
three or four foxes, according to the size, middlmg them
over a pin, &c., and plaiting the three or four parts together
for the length of the eye, Fig. KJO.
Turin's Head, Fig. 108, Plate 28.
Tni^li's JtIgslA ^%voi*l£ecl into a HLoi>e, Fig.
46 SELVAGEES, ETC.
SELVAGEES— REEFING BECKETS, ETC
j\. Selvag-ee is made by warping rope-yam, spun-
yarn, or small stuff, according to tne size required, and
marling down as in Fig. 170, Plate 2s.
A small selvagee may be made by warping rope-yam
around two marling-spikes, stuck in the holes of a grating
at the proper distance apart.
Large ones are sometimes made of small stuff, for get-
ting in lower masts, and are called garlands.
As selvagee straps are soft ^nd pliable, they are the best
for clapping on rigging, spars, &c., as in Figs. 171 and 172.
For tne same reason, stoppers for braces, &c., are made
in a similar manner, as in Fig. 173.
Selvagees may be used tor various purposes. A very
neat and expeditious way of bending stuading-sail halliards
is to use a strap, as in Figs. 174 and 175.
Very neat straps for blocks, may be made of selvagees.
Tieefinof iJeelcetK, Fig. 177, Plate 29, are made
like sennit, after a variety of designs.
These points may be made of manilla-yarns, or four-
yam spun-yarn, with four or five parts in the eye, and
worked down with seven or nine parts ; the length of the
spun-yarn on the two parts to make a point, is once and a
half the length of the point to be made. The eye is made
around a toggle which remains in. If fitted to go around
the jack-stay, plait down six inches from the toggle, then
separate the foxes and plait an eye eight inches long, then
plait down nine inches solid, whip the end with twine and
it is finished.
Sennit is made round, square, or flat, and is used for
various purposes, such as gaskets, ^v,
Oomnaon Sennit. Figs. 170 and 180, Plate 21>.
F'l-encli Sennit. Fig. LSI, Plate 'l\).
H^onncl Sennit. Figs. l<S:i and 18:5. Used for
man-ropes, yoke-lines, &c.
SqxiaT-e Sennit. Fig. 1S4, Plate V.).
SwoT'd 3f:at. Figs. 185, 18<), and 187. Used for
chafing mats.
^V Col^l^lei-'j^ Stiteli is used for joining the sides
of the mat together. Fig. 17(), Plate :J().
Pannch 3Iat. Fig. lt)0, Plate :]0.
IVet iVTi^lcingr. Figs. 103 and 104:. Plate 31.
A. Shot oi- 1^i-eawixi»;y^ :Xet. Fig. 105, Plate 31.
Boats' Fenclei's. The usual hanging-fender for
boom-boats is made of as many parts of spun-yarn as will
give it the requisite dimensions. These are middled and
doubled over the laniard, and a small grommet is driven
over the bights to make them snug, as in making a swab.
SENNIT, ETC. 47
It is then grafted over, either with sennit or foxes, and fin-
ished off as grafting is usually finished ; or by crowning the
end over with the foxes. dB'igs. 197 and 198, Plate 31.
A grommet fender is merely a rope grommet grafted over.
A canvas fender is stuffed with oakum, roped at the
edges, and has a small grommet sewed on the centre, to
keep the chafe oflf.
Leather fenders are used for gigs and cutters.
For another kind of fender for boom-boats, see Dolphin.
Ha^imnoeLc: Clews. Take twelve lengths of
nettle-stuff, middle them, serve round all at the centre, and
5 ass a seizing to form the eye ; then lay one up and one
own, as for a sword mat, bring the outside nettle on each
side across for filling, and leave it out ; form the other rows
in the same manner, and when reduced to two, knot the last
pair. Fig. 200. Plate 31.
Sennit lor Hats. Figs. 201, 202, and 203, Plate 31.
Coir BrxxtsliessJ. Figs. 204 and 205, Plate 32.
To iVroixne a Hoolt. This is done when hoist-
ing a heavy weight to prevent the hook from straightening
out, and on sails, &c., to prevent unhooking. Fig. 200,
Plate 32.
Flog-sheacl Slinks. Fig. 207, Plate 32.
Can-Hoolis. Fig. 208, Plate 32.
A. Tanlc-Toggrle. Fig. 209, Plate 32.
To Sling- a Caslc with a Itope^»-eTicl —
make a bowline knot in the yard- whip, and stick the end
back so as to form a short bight, to which bend the stay-
whip. Turn the bight of the bow-line over its own part,
and slip each bight thus formed over one end of the cask.
Fig. 210, Plate 32.
To Sling a Cask ^ivith the Head
Klnooked in — slip the bight of the whip under the
cask, take a hitch with each part over the head, and knot
them together above. Fig. 211, Plate 32.
Another way, though not quite so safe, is to make a
figure-of-eight knot, and slip the bight under the barrel, as
in Fig. 212.
I3ale ox* Barrel Slings are generally made of
three-inch rope, and of suflScient length to go round the
bale or barrel. They are similar to a long strap, spliced
together with a short splice ; they are passed round the barrel
and one bight rove through the other. Fig. 213, Plate 33.
They are sometimes made long enough to sling two or
three barrels at a time.
Jk. P^arbxiclile, Fig. 214, Plate 33, is a purchase
contrived with a single rope for raising a heavy cask or
other similar weight. The same kind of purchase, though
on a larger scale, is used for getting on board the sheer legs
wrhen masting a ship with one's own resources.
-t'S NETTINGS, ETC.
JACOB'S LADDERS, ETC.
•Tacob^s I^£iclclei:*s are made of wire rope, as in
Fig. 21.5. Plate ^:5, for convenience of passing into the boats,
into the rigging, &c. They lead from the spar deck to the
lower rigging, to enable the topmen to get in the rigging
without getting on the hammocks ; on the lower booms and
main brace bumpkin to facilitate getting in and out of
boats ; and in large ships, to the after-end of the spare top-
sail vard in the chains ; and also from the top-gallant mast-
heads, the lower end setting up to the aiterpart of the
cross-trees.
Snakins- on 13aelcKtix;v"»*s«9 &^e. Seizing a small
rope alternately from one stay to another, to keep either
from falling if shot away. This is only done when prepar-
ing for action. Fig. 216, Plate 33.
NETTINGS.
lVettinsr«*«-i Fig. 217, Plate 33, are made by seizing
together the Fights of small ropes — such as ratline stuff —
leaving uniform spaces or meshes between. The rope is
first marked oflf at equal intervals with chalk, and neat
seizings of twine clapped on. They are used in different
parts of the ship for various purposes.
Jib Nettings seize to the jib guys on each side, passing
under the boom, and are for the purpose of catching and
holding the jib when hauled down, and to save men from
falling overboard when stowing the jib in bad weather.
Staysail Netting, for stowing the foretopmast staysail
in.
Boarding Nettings trice up from the rail to the ridge-rope
to prevent the enemy from boarding. These, when made of
ratline stuff well soaked in tar, sanded, and allowed to
harden, defy the sharpest knife.
Quarter-deck nettings are stretched over the deck like an
awning to prevent spars, &c., from falling on the heads of
the oflBcers in time of action.
Boarding and splinter nettings as well as exterior net-
tings for defence against torpedoes are only furnished in
time of war.
Torpedo jVettingTH. In these, steel rods or wire
take the place of the small rope in ordinary netting, and the
seizings are replaced by metal rings or links.
Collision 3£ats are used to stop the inflow of
water in case a vessel's bottom should be injured in collision
or otherwise. They are carried by all of our vessels of war,
and regular drills are held to familiarize the crew with
their use.
COLLISION MATS. 49
In the United States Navy there are five sizes, as follows :
Xo. 1. Twelve feet square )
Xo. 2. Ten feet square [• For ships.
Xo. 3. Eight feet square )
Xo. 4. Six feet by four feet ( -^ tornpdo boats
Xo. 5. Four feet by three, feet. . . . f ^''^ torpedo boats.
Sizes 1, 2, and 3 are made of No. 1 flax canvas, roped
with 3-inch hemp, backed with cross bands six inches wide.
Xo. 1, three cross bands each way. Nos. 2 and 3, two cross
bands each way, thrummed with 3^-inch hemp thrums, in
rows two inches apart. To be fitted with 3-inch cringles in
corners and 2-inch metal eyelets in ends of cross bands. To
have bridles of 3-inoh hemp on two opposite sides fitted with
crow's feet. Thimbles in bridles to be three inches. Dis-
tance of thimble from middle of side of mat equal to the
len^h of that side. To have dipping or hogging lines at
comers thirty -five fathoms long of 3-inch hemp for Nos. 1
and 2, and of 2J-inch hemp for No. 3.
Sizes 4 and 5 to be made of No. 3 flax canvas roped
with 2i-inch hemp, backed with one cross band each way,
thrummed with 2-inch hemp thrums, in rows |-inch apart.
To be fitted with 2-inch cringles in corners and 1-inch metal
eyelets in ends of cross bands. To have dipping or hogging
lines at corners five fathoms long of 1 J-iiich hemp.
CHAPTER V.
BLOCKS.
Bloclcs are mechanical contrivances, possessing the
Eroperties and powers of pulleys. They are generally made
y machinery, of ash, and are, what are called, made or
mortised.
The made block. Fig. 220, Plate 34, consists of four prin-
cipal parts, as follows : — ^The shell or outside, consisting of
two or more pieces pinned together ; the sheave or wheel
(b), over which the rope passes ; the pin or axle (a), on
wnich the sheave turns, and the strap, either rope or iron,
which encircles the whole, and by which it is confined to its
particular place.
The sheave mav be of metal or of lignum-vitaB ; if the
latter, it is bouchea (c), in all blocks except those used for
the gun tackles. In the patent blocks the bouching con-
tains friction rollers. Fig. 221.
In the common block the bouching is counter-sunk, and
made of a composition of 100 parts of copper and 16 of tin.
The sheaves of blocks used for gun tackles are not allowed
to be bouched, and the pins are made of hardened copper.
The pin of the common olock is made of iron.
Mortised blocks, Fig. 222, Plate 34, are made from a
single piece of wood, mortised out to receive the sheave.
Blocks are single, double, treble or threefold, and four-
fold, according to the number of sheaves contained within
the shell ; are either single or double scored, and are mea-
sured by their length — that is, the length of the shell.
The scores are the notches cut at the ends of the shell to
admit the strap.
The sizes oi blocks used in the navy range from 4 inches
to 22 inches inclusive, as follows : — 4-inch, 5-inch, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22, single and double of each
size, and treble blocks for the largest purchases.
Not included in the above are viol blocks, large blocks
used for warping, &c.
Bloc'lcH take their name from the purposes to which
they are applied, or from some peculiarity of form, the fol-
lowing being the principal ones in common use : —
Bee-Bloclcss, or simply Bees, are thick, pieces of
oak bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, having heavy metal
sheaves in them for the fore-topmast and fore-topmast
spring stays to reeve through.
50
Plate 34
SHs>SSO
BLOCKS. 51
Ocit-Block, a largje, double or three-fold block,
iron-strapped and composition sheaves. It has a large hook
connected with the strap by a link, to admit play. It is
used to raise the anchor to the cathead. Fig. 225.
Cheelc-BIoelis are made of a halt-shell, and bolt
aeainst a mast or spar, which acts as the other cheek or half
of shell. The chief bolt serves as a pin for the sheave to
turn on. Used on gaffs for brails, &c.
Clew-g-ai^net HloeliH are single, iron-bound,
and hook or shackle to the iron bands on the quarters of the
fore and main yard. They hang under the yard and receive
the clew-garnets, by which the courses are hauled up. The
name also applies to the blocks which hook in the clews of
the sail.
Cle^w-line I31oc1ch are those which are attached
to the clews of the topsails for the clew-lines. Formerly,
the name applied only to the block on the yard, now called
Quarter-block.
Clu-xnp-Bloclc. Strongly made blocks with, a
thick metal sheave, having a large swallow or opening in
proportion to the length. Used for the topsail and top-
gallant lifts in the top ; also on collar of main stay for fore-
topsail brace, &c.
The same name is applied to any short thick block, such
as fore and main tack blocks, &c.
I>aHliei*-I31ocl£ is the small block sometimes
strapped to the extremity of the spanker-gaff, for reeving
the ensign halliards.
liJii.plii*oe. A long piece of wood having a number of
holes in it, through which the crow-foot for the awnings is
rove. It has a score around it for a strap, and is strapped
with a thimble for bending the crow-foot nalliards.
F'ish-Bloclc. For fishing the anchor • a large
double or treble block, iron strapped, fitted with several
links of chain and a hook to hook on the arm of the
anchor.
F'iclclle-KlocliK, Fig. 223, Plate 34, are made with
a long shell so as to have one sheave over the other, the
lower Doing smaller. Used for top-burtons and as hanging
blocks. When used for fore or mam buntlines the two parts
are connected by a swivel.
Fly-Blools: is the upper block of the topsail hal-
liards. It is double, has sister hooks and thimble for hook-
ing to the topsail tye. Friction rollers.
Grln-BlocliH, Fig. 224, Plate 34, are large composi-
tion sheaves which turn m a metal framework. Used prin-
cipally for topsail tyes, and hook to iron bands, made to fit
snugly over the topmast tressle-trees. The name is also
appued to the small metal blocks used aloft for various pur-
poses, such as for topgallant and royal braces, topgallant
Duntlines, etc.
52 X BLOCKS.
CJ-ii't-line ZJlocks are single, through which girt-
lines, or single whips reeve, as the mast-head girtlines, in
rigging ship, etc. oometimes called qantUnes.
H[aiieliig--BlocliJs« Any block depending at a
mast-heaoT as a lead for running rigging ; such as the
fiddle-blocks at fore-topmast head for head halliards and
topsail bunt lines, etc.
•Tstek-BloekH are large single blocks, used for
sending up and down topgallant and royal yards.
Jeei'-BloclcK are large double or treble blocks for
reeving the purchases for sending up and down the lower
yards..
JTe^v^el-Bloclcts are single blocks at the extremities
of the topsail, topgallant, and sometimes, though rarely,
royal yards, through which the studding-sail halliards
reeve. The head oi the studding-sail, when set, is hoisted
to them.
]\i]a.iii-i«t]ieet Bloelc is a double or treble block,
strapped to the main-boom of a schooner or sloop, for the
main-sheet, or a single block for main-sheet of square
riggers.
C^ixai^er-Blocks, on the topsail or topgallant
yards, are double, and are iron-strapped to the quarters of
the yards, to gfive lead to the sheet of the sail above and
clewline of the sail below. On the lower yard they are
single, for the topsail sheet alone, and on "the royal yard
they are single, for the royal clewline alone. Those for the
topgallant and royal yards go with sister hooks, that they
may be readily detached.
Sister-BloclcH, Fig. 226, Plate 34, are formed of
one solid piece and two sheaves, one above the other ; be-
tween the sheaves is a score for a middle seizing, and on
the sides a score for the shrouds to fit in.
Seci^et-BloclcH, Fig. 227, Plate 34, are so made
that the sheave is entirelv screened, the rope leading
through an orifice in the shell just large enough to admit its
free passage, the object being to prevent its fouling by
small gear catching in the swallow and choking it. Used
for clewlines, whicJn are frequently fouled bv reef-points,
and for clew-jiggers. The snell of the block, Fig. 227 (a
and b), is made of lignum-vitse, and has an iron half-strap.
The hooks fitted to this block are known as clip hooks.
Similar hooks are shown in Fig. 228, but opening perpen-
dicular to the sheave instead of opening in line with it.
Hooks fitted as in Fig. 228 are known as sister hooks.
Snatcli-Blocltw, Fig. 229, are always single arid
iron-bound, with swivel hooks. The shell at the breech is
left open, and the strap at that part fitted with a clamp, so
that tne bight of a rope may be '' snatchech''
Teleg*i*apli-1 Jloolv>4 are pyramidal shaped blocks,
with a number of small brass sheaves, used for making
telegraphic signals.
BM«J340a BHa.S40ft
Fia-S-Urt I^iK.S-l I /, I^ia,a43
BLOCKS. 53
Top-Blocks, Fig. 233, Plate 35, are large, single,^
iron-bound blocks, used for sending up and down topmasts.
They hook to an eye-bolt in the lower cap, hooking irom in,
outj so that the bill of the hook points outward, and the
top pendants reeve through them. Sometimes shackled.
Topg-allant-top Block is similar to the above,
but smaller. It is used for the topgallant-mast rope, and
hooks from in, outy to an eyebolt in the topmast cap.
Tye-Bloclis are large, single, iron-bound blocks,
which bolt or shackle to iron bands on the topsail yard, for
the topsail tyes to reeve through.
Viol-Blocks are large single blocks, with a swallow
large enough to take a small hawser.
In the navy -yards there are fourfold blocks of 30 inches
and over, for neavy purchases.
Block-a^nd-Block, or ''two blocks" is the term
applied to a tackle when its two blocks are drawn so close
together that they cease to operate. The act of drawing
the blocks apart is called fleeting the purchase, or overhaul'
ing it.
Blocks should frequentlv be examined, not only as to
strapping, but also by knocking the pin out and inspecting
the Douching. The loss of power, and strain on rope, occa-
sioned by a worn bouch, is considerable. The working
blocks of tackles (for instance, the fly block of topsail hal-
liards) are always more worn than the lower ones, and,
therefore, without waiting until the sheaves shriek and
become dumb, the blocks should be shifted and the sheaves
transposed. This remark applies also to quarter-davit
blocks.
The sheave, on which the hauling part of the rope
works, does most duty ; and this calls for'greater strengtn,
and frequent alterations in upper blocks.
All blocks which stand horizontally must be placed with
the square end of the pin upwards : as, when the shell
shrinks, it is liable to fall out if placed otherwise.
Hanging, Tye, and Quarter-Blocks, undergo great strains
when bracing sharp up ; if the former are two blocks, the
weather halliards snould be eased up suflBciently.
Books. There is no proportion for hooks, so that
while handling heavy weights, unless the hooks be evidently
very strong, it is safer to use a shackle or a good mousing.
More accidents happen from open hooks than from chain or
cordage. Great support may be given a hook by slipping a
link or a shackle over the point, Fig. 234, Plate 35.
Tliimblos are made both perfectly round, and also
with the ends nearly joined. Two are sometimes united
for the purpose of giving easy play to the adjoining straps
or block, as well as a different stand. These are called
Lock-Thimbles.
54 STRAPPING BLOCKS.
STRAPPING BLOCKS.
The majority of the largest blocks supplied to men-of-
war are iron-strapped ; quarter-blocks, brace-blocks, clew-
gamet-blocks, top-olocks, cat-blocks, blocks for boat falls,
and many others are of this class. All the above, except
the cat-blocks and top-blocks, are also provided with fric-
tion rollers, and the same may be said of nearly all iron-
strapped blocks which are not subjected to very heavy
strains. Some blocks are made entirely of iron, such as the
jeer-blocks for small vessel's, secured permanently in the
chain sling. See also Fig. 231, for a treble iron block.
Figs. 229 and 233 show one method of strapping blocks
with iron. Another plan is to use inside iron straps, as in
Figs. 230 and 232, which are probably the strongest straps
yet devised.
When not iron-strapped, blocks are fitted with straps of
hemp or wire-rope.
A wire-rope strap differs from a hemp one in being
wormed, parcelled and served, and in being usually made
of rope one half the size of the corresponding hemp strap.
In wire straps for ordinary single blocks, the splice comes
on the side instead of the breech, to avoid a nip near the
splice.
Hemp-rope for block-straps should be well-stretched, or
until it begins to look ** long-jawed," that is, the angle of
the lay diminished.
Once and a half the round of the block gives a good
measure for the common strap, in which the two ends are
joined by a short splice ; first reeving the ends through the
eye of the hook ; a seizing of marline, houseline, spun-yarn,
hambroline, or larger stuff, according to the size of the
block, is then clapped on between the thimble and the
block.
The splice in the hemp strap should be placed at the
breech of the block. After getting a good strain on the
strap, the splicing ends may be trimmed off.
Covering block-straps at all is objectionable, particularly
if much exposed, as they decay more rapidly and break with-
out warning.
CHAPTER VI.
TACKLES.
Taclile is an assemblage of ropes and blocks,
and is known in mechanics as a sj^stem of pulleys.
The simplest contrivance of this kind is the single whip,
or ffirtline, which consists of a rope rove through a single
sttuionary block. By this arrangement, a better lead is
given the rope, but no power is gained by it.
But this arrangement is extremely convenient and often
absolutely necessary, as in hoisting articles from the holds
to the upper decks, or from the decks to the masts and
yards.
It is quite different, however, when the single block is
movable, or attached to the weight to be moved, and gener-
ally these two principles obtain m all tackles, namely, that
stationary blocks give no gain, but only serve as a lead to
the rope, and all increase of power is derived from movable
blocks.
The block having the greatest number of parts of the fall
should be attached to the weight to be moved, in order to
gain the greatest mechanical advantage. The power gained
IS equal to the number of parts at the movable block.
As, in all purchases, a considerable proportion of power
is expended in overcoming friction alone, and as stationary
blocks, while they serve to augment friction, yield no
mechanical advantage, there should be as many movable
blocks aspossible. -
To X>etermii:ie the IRelatioix of Po^vrer
to A^V^eisrh-t in anj^ system of pulleys, we have to
remember mat the tension on a rope is the same through-
out, from the point hauled on to tnat at which it is made
fast, friction not considered. If we then make a figure of a
system of pulleys, tracing up the tension on each part,
marking the hauling part as 1, we find the purchase by
adding the values thus assigned to each part of rope at the
weight, or reeving through the block at tne weight. When
the rope itself starts with a doubled power as at A, Fig.
253, each part of such a rope must be marked 2 ; if it starts
with a quadrupled power as at B, Fig. 255, each part must
be marked 4, &c.
Plate 36 shows the manner of estimating the power in
this way, with the forms of purchase in ordinary use.
55
ii) TACKLES.
Pig. 244, Single whip ; power gained, none.
Fig. 245, The same with block at the weight; power
gainea, 2.
Fig. 246, Gun tackle, purchase, power gained, 2.
Fig. 247, The same inverted, power gained, 3.
Fig. 248, A luflf tackle, power gained, 3.
Fig. 249, The same inverted, power gained, 4.
Fig. 250, Double purchase, power gamed, 4.
Fig. 251, The same inverted, power gained, 5.
Fig. 252, Single Spanish burton, power gained, 3.
Fig. 253, Double Spanish burton, power gained, 5.
Fig. 254, Bell purchase, for topsail halliards, power
gained, 7.
Fig. 255, Luff upon luff, power gained, 16.
In the above estimate for Bell purchase, the angle be-
tween the two parts, C, D, should be considered.
The general rule for ascertaining the power necessary to
raise a given weight with a tackle, is to aivide the weight to
be raised by the number of parts of rope at the movable
block or blocks, the quotient being the power required to
produce an equilibrium, friction not considered.
To ascertain the amount of purchase required to raise a
given weight with a given power, divide the weight by the
power, and the quotient will be the number of parts of rope
which must be attached to the lower block.
To ascertain what weight given tackling will raise, the
weight a single rope will bear is multiplied by the number
of parts at the moving block.
When one tackle is put upon another, multiply the two
¥owers together to get the total amount of purchase gained,
'hus with a luff tackle, with four parts at the movable
block, the gain is four. A luff upon luff would give an
increase of 16 times, another luff clapped on to the fall of
the second, 16 x 4, or 64 times, &c.
These rules require considerable modification for fric-
tion.
Power can only be increased at the expense of time,
hence there are many cases on board ship where a great
deal of purchase would be a positive disadvantage.
f I'ietion. Perhaps we shall not be far wrong if we
estimate one sixth of the original force to be consumed by
friction each time the rope passes round a sheave. Thus,
supposing the tension or strain on the hauling part be 0,
that on the next will be 5, the next 4, the next 3, and so on.
So that if the strain on the fall of a two-fold tackle be 6, the
strains on the parts of the rope will be represented by the
figures 6, 5, 4, 3, and their sum, 18, will nearly represent the
Sower of the tackle, instead of 24, which it would have been
ad there been no friction ; or about one fourth of the force
would have been consumed by it.
If the rope which passes round the sheave of the block
Plata 36
I'i«.2a^t^/""\
K'ig.S^O
iK.j::j lo
i«Hjc.34.r
1 I 1
w
w
p«1
P==2
P--2
P"3
Fi^.S-l^S
T 1
I
0)
w
jH^iff.aoi
/
I i; 1 n
I
w
P*3
P-4
P-4
P--5
F'ig.Goi^
l''i;X.i*o3
ic.2o--irk
IfMg.255
l\^-<l\J B
1 I
\
\
\
\\ \\
\4 4>
\
P-3
P-5
P-7
P-lo
TACKLES — FRICTION. 57
be small, it will bo more flexible ; a less force will be neces-
sary to "nip" it round the sheave, and there will be less
resistance by friction against the inside of the shell of the
block.
From these considerations, we gather that work is light-
ened by using large blocks and small ropes; the boat-
swain's rule, that the hauling part of a fall bears double the
strain of the standing part, is not far wrong ; that as the
pin of a block is more worn on one of its sides, it should be
frequently turned ; and that as sheaves nearest the stand-
ing part do least duty, they should be shifted occasionally
with the others.
There are about five different purchases in common use,
VIZ *
A. Sing-le TV^iip, Fig. 256, Plate 37, which consists
of a single stationary block and fall. By it the power can
be more conveniently applied to the weight, but no power
is gained. It is therefore, in reality, no purchase at all.
The term whip is sometimes applied to tackles, as the
wcUer^ivhips.
A. X{.ixTiiiei*9 Fig. 257, Plate 37, a single movable
block and fall. In this case, the fall is called the runner,
and has a thimble spliced in the end, for hooking a purchase
to. By it the power is doubled. The main bowline and
topsail tyes are instances of runners. Runners, as in the
figure, are used for setting up backstays, and generally
wherever they can be applied to advantage.
A. GixjLrt Taclcle l^rii-eliiiKcs Fig. 258, ^late
37, is composed of two single blocks, strapped with )ok
and thimble, the standing part of the fall bent to the
becket, or spliced into the strap of the block from which
the fall leads. The advantage derived from this purchase
has been given already. Its gain is as 1 to 3.
A Lull' TacUIe, Fig. 259, Plate 37, consists of a
double and single block, each strapped with a hook and
thimble, the standing part of fall bent to the becket, or
spliced into the strap oi the single block. If the double
block is hooked to the weight, the power is multiplied four
times ; if the single block, then but three times, &c.
A. T>vofoltl Fixreliase-, Fig. 2G0, Plate 37, con-
sists of two double blocks, the standing and hauling part
leading from the same block, and on opposite sides, so that
the block will not cant. The power gained is four or five
times, as it may be applied.
A. Threefold. JPu.i'cliaKc* consists of two treble
blocks, having the fall and standing part leading from the
same block, and from opposite sides. Its power is six or
seven times.
The foregoing are the principal kinds of purchase in use
on board ship ; all others are combinations or modifications
of these, and take their names from the purpose for which
oS TACKLES — FRICTK )N.
or place where used, the foUowing being those in most
general use.
IJoom Tackle^ or boom-jiggers, used in large
ships for rigging in and out the studding-sail booms. In
schooners, the tackle which guys the main boom forward,
when going large.
I3ii.i*toriH are light tackles. The term burton by itself,
is generally understood to apply to those which are nearly
always kept hooked to the pendants, at the topmast heads,
ready for use, and called tojy burto7is. They are the same
fmrchase as a luff, but instead of the common double block
ike a luff, it has a fiddle block, both for neatness and con-
venience, there being but little room close up under the eyes
of the topmast rigging. The falls of these burtons are long
enough to permit both the lower block and hauling end to
reach the deck, with plenty to spare, while the upper block
is hooked to the topmast pendant.
SpaniKli llvxi'tonw are of various styles.
A single Spanish burton, Fig. 2G1, Plate 37, consists of
two single blocks, the standing part spliced in to the strap
of the movable block and the bight seized or bent to the
hook. This increases the power three times.
The double Spaiiish burton, Fig. 253, Plate 'M, has one
double and two single blocks ; the standing part spliced in
the strap of one single block, then rove through the double
or fixed block, and tlie bight seized to the strap of the lower
block, to which the weight to be lifted is hooked. The end
is then rove up through the double block, through the lower
and lastly through the single block to which tne standing
part is secured. This purchase gives an increase of five
times the power applied. Figure 254, Bell's purchase, in-
creases the power seven times.*
A. I>eeli: Tttcflile is a heavy purchase, of a double
and single, or two double blocks. It is used for rousing in
chains, and for heavy work generally.
f iwli Tacltle is a heavy purchase of double or
treble blocks, used for fishing the ancnor ; that is, for raising
the crown to get the inner nuke up to the bill-board after
catting.
^V l^"^<>i*e-Jiiicl-af% Taeltle is one used to get
the awnings on a fore-and-aft stretch. The term is also of
general application to any tackle whose use, for the time
eing, may be in the direction of the length of the ship.
In the same way we have thwartsh ip-tackles.
C^rivtliness are, generally, single whips. The name
applies particularly to those used at the mast-head in get-
tmg up tops, riggmg, &c., when rigging ship. Hammock
Girtlines are simply lines on which to stop scrubbed ham-
mocks for drying. They are fitted in various ways, and
* Seo also Boll's purcluise, and Plat-, Cliapt^^r IX , ITai^liards.
^^
TACKLES. '^'.^
formerly had permanent (nettle) stops attached ; but now the
"long" or harbor clothes-lines are used for the purpose.
Hateli Tackles. These are common luff pur-
chases, and are used generally in the hatches over the
holds. When the upper block is required to be above the
spar deck, it should not be permitted to hook to the lower
stay, but to a long pendant, hooking to the lower cap and
stopped out to the stay by a lizard.
•Jeers, for sendmg up and down the lower yards, are
variously rove. The plan now is, to have one or two double
or treble purchases according to the size of the yard. For
small vessels the blocks (iron) are fitted in one with the
slings. Fig. 262, Plate 37.
•Jig-g-ei's, Fig. 264, Plate 38, are small luffs, having
the double block strapped with one or two tails, and are used
for a great variety of purposes about decks.
1^1x11' Tackle. Double and single block, as already
de?;cribed. But rigging Ivffs used in setting up rigging are
either double or single. f5ouble rigging luffs may oe ordi-
nary luff tackles or double purchases, used for setting up
lower stays, and called stay luffs. Sinp^le rigging luffs have
two single blocks, and are used in setting up shrouds.
In former days when ship's batteries were light, the gun
tackles had only two single blocks, hence the term, gun-
tackle purchase.
Rigging luffs in former days were composed of double
and single blocks, but in time were made up with two
single blocks instead, as the double block was too large,
much in the way, and liable to split in setting up shrouds.
I^endant Tackles are large tackles, composed
of double blocks. They hook to the mast-head pendants,
whence their name, and are used for setting up lower rig-
ging, staying the mast, or steadying it under certain emer-
gencies.
R/eef Tackles are for rousing the leeches of the
top-sails and courses up to the yard arms for reefing. They
are variously fitted, and may be either a luff or a gun-
tackle purchase, as will be explained hereafter.
JEielie vin^ Tackles are for the purpose of hook-
ing to the tiller, m order to steer the ship in the event of
the wheel ropes being shot away in action, or to assist in
steering in very heavy weather, when the motions of the
rudder are sudden and violent. Double and single block.
R^olling" Tackles hook to the quarters of thc^
yards (lower and top-sail) and to the mast, for the puipose
of steadying the yards in a heavy sea, when the ship rolls
much, and to relieve the strain on the trusses, slings, or
parrel.
Huclder Tackles hook to the rudder chains or
pendants, to steer the ship in case of accident to the tiller or
rudder head.
00 TACKLES.
A. IX.\iiiiiei* a^rid Taelcle^ Fig. 205. Plate :^S,
is simply composed of a tackle (double and single block)
attached to a runner. They are for aiding in staying the
lower masts. The power gained is eight times.
Sta^v^ Tackles are those which hook to the triatic
stay, or a lower stay, and are called respectively, forestay
tackle and mainstay tackle — used in getting the boats in ana
out. These are large double or treble purchases with a
hook and several links of chain on the lower blocks. One
link is round, and into it hooks the yard tackle.
jV Sail HTaeUle, Fig. 200, Plate 3S. The upper
block is often double ; the small single block below is to act
as a fair leader, and the fall to act as a guy in keeping the
sail clear of the yards and top when swaying aloft. The
burtons are used as sail tackles.
Stoclc and Dill Taelile is a small tackle used
when securing the anchor.
Tricing- Linew are generally single whips. Some-
times, however, they are gun-tackle purchases, as the fore-
topmast studding sail boom tricing lines.
W'ateli Tacrlde. A common luff purchase or
jigger.
^ >\ liip Jiiid TfcviiiiKM'. Similar to a runner
and tackle, but smaller. The main bowline of a large ship
is a whip and runner.
^"ard TacltleK are large tackles used on the
lower yards, in connection with the stay tackles, for get-
ting the boom-boats in and out, purchasing anchors, &c.
They are called fore and main yard tackles, respectively,
and are fitted with large double or treble blocks, strapped
with single hooks. Fig. 230 shows an inside iron-strapped
treble block for yard tackle.
A\"atei' A^V^liips^ are tackles for hoisting in water,
when it is brought ofif in gang casks ; or for medium
weights generally.
Besides the yard and stay tackles described above, for
hoisting in and out boats, lighter purchases, known as the
yard and stay water whips, are used for getting in provi-
sions, Fig. 207.
This purchase consists of two water-wliips. The upper
block of the stay whip has a pendant which hooks into the
lower cap, and is fitted with a lizard hauling it out to the
collar of the lower stay, where it is secured.
The upper block of the yard whip is fitted with a strap
as in Fig. 207 to go around the yard arm. Both lower blocks
may be fitted with chain pendants and hooks. Sometimes
the lower stay block alone is fitted with chain, the lower
yard block having a hook only.
Besides the foregoing, there are various jiggers and
whips, all of which will be explained when used.
<jrenei'al lteiiiai*li.*s. One great advantage of a
*•'•■'"" *■«.=<«
TACKLES. (>1
tackle on board ship, which renders its application of con-
, stant occurrence when mere power is not wanting, must not
be overlooked ; as, for example, when hoisting, a jerking is
to be avoided, and a steady, gradual strain required, as in
staying a mast. Another advantage of a purchase, when
titt^d to any part of a ship's rig^ng, is that on coming up,
when some little must necessarilv oe given back, only a
mere fractional part is lost on the rope itself, as in the
laniard of a dead-eye, &c.
The p:r(^ater the amount of purchase used, the steadier
will be the strain.
The swallow of a block should be full large in proportion
to the size of the fall ; generallj^ one-tenth of an men swal-
low for every one-fourth of an mch in circumference of the
rope.
The fall of a purchase should have as clear a lead as
possible, and the nauling part be in a line parallel to the
rest of the purchase.
A score is generally cut in the breech of a block to admit
the standing part of the fall being passed under the strap,
so as to splice the end into its own part. When this is done,
the splice should be tapered and neatly served over with
marline. But in jiggers, luffs, deck and pendant tackles,
the standing part is oent to a becket, worked around the
strap of the single block, with a sheet or becket bend, and
the end stopped down. This is to allow the fall to be
shifted, end for end, or to be unrove at pleasure.
Bv reason of friction, the becket in the breech of the
standing block may be much less in size than the fall, as
the fall there bears less strain than at the hauling part, and
the greater the number of parts of a fall, the greater will
this difference be. Notwithstanding this, in neavy pur-
chases, where great weights are to be moved, the standing
Eart is hitched around tne neck of the strap, between the
lock and the thimble ; and it is a good precaution, when
using any tackle for a great strain, to cast off the standing
Eart from the becket and hitch it around the strap. In large
locks, the standing part is made to go on the side opposite
to that from which the fall leads, making it lead fairer, and
Sreventing the tendency of the block to slew in the strap,
ig. 2G8, Plate 38.
VSThen a racking is to be put on a purchase fall, the haul-
ing part is racked to the part next to it.
Sometimes, as in the case of a boat's fall, by the block
capsizing, or through carelessness in overhauling, the fall
gets a thorouqhfoot in it — that is, the parts get crossed ; be-
fore use the thoroughf oot must be taken out.
The following is the result of a carefully-executed ex-
periment with tackles :
A tackle of 2 upper and 1 lower sheave requires on the
fall I of the weight of the resistance in order to raise it, but
02 TACKLES.
only \ to sustain it in its place. In hoisting, the standing
Eart takes a strain of about J of the weight suspended, 1 m
eeping it suspended, and | in lowering tne weight. WheB
composed of one upper and one lower sheave, the fall of thi
tackle requires the exertion of a power equal to about t ol
the weight to move it, and ^ to keep it in eauilibrium, s<
that the strap should be 3 times the strengtn of the fall,
or lltimes its size.
The Pui-clia^e g-stiried l>y Swig-ging" OlE
What is called swigging off — ^that is, pulling at right anglel
to a rope, is, at first, a very great power ; but it decreas<
as the rope is pulled out or the straight line. A purchat
upon this principle may be conveniently applied to severe
purposes. By it a boat may be hauled up on the beach. Al
some distance up from the water, drive m a stake, and neai^
the water, in a line with the boat, drive in another. To the
upper stake secure the boat's painter, passing it along^
against the lower one. Now, bv swigging off upon the"
painter midway between the stakes, the boat's crew will-
pull with an increased power, and if this be insuflScient, ill
may be increased by moving the stakes farther apart.
I
r
f^^
^E
r^'-yVf-i^^t^
CHAPTER VI I.
MASTS AND Y ARD S - RUDDER.-M A STING.
'W^ood.eii Lo"wer*-maeits are made of several
pieces, united by dowels or coaks, and hoops.
In the United States Navy, the made masts consist of
four principal pieces, each of which consists of two or more
f)arcs, scarfed together, when a whole piece, of sufficient
ength, cannot be obtained. These pieces are placed as in
Plate 39 P. The inner corner of each piece is taKen off so as
to leave a square hole .extending tnroughout the whole
length of the mast, in its axis. This admits of a closer con- .
tact of the parts of the mast with each other when the
hoops are set up, and does not take from the strength of the
spar. This hole is one-tenth of the diameter of the mast in
size.
The hoops are placed from three to three and a half feet
apart from each other, and are from four and one-quarter
to five inches wide, and from four-eighths to five-eighths
of an inch thick, according to the class of ships the mast
is made for. They must, liowever, be kept clear of the
wedges at the partners. The scarfings of the piece must be
kept clear of each other (that is, the points of junction in
one piece must be as far as possible from those in an-
other piece), and equally distributed in the mast. There
is a chafing batten on the forward part of the liiast, about
one-fourth the diameter of the mast in width, and one-
eighth in thickness.
The principal parts of a mast are the heady hounds, bibbs,
neck, partners and heel.
The Bovi^sprit is represented in full length in
Plate 39. At the side the bees are shown extending from
the cap to the housing, or where the octagonal form com-
mences.
The Jih-Boom is represented in its place. The
heel is cut to fit in a saddle bolted on the top of the bow-
sprit, and is clamped down by an iron strap; a short dis-
tance outboard is a sheave for a heel-rope.
The Topmant has the cross-trees and cap on.
The Lo^^'ei' "Varcl has in the centre a stout iron
span, to which hook the slings.
The truss is fjihown in a separate figure.
The Topsail "Vard., in two views, shows the
jaws, tve-blocks, bending- jackstay, quarter-blocks for top-
68
04: MASTS.
gallant sheets and additional blocks, forward, for topsail
clew-lines.
Yarcl-Slingrs, Y, Plate 30, are of chain, in length
twice that of their respective mast-heads ; to which must be
added half the length of the forward lower cross-tree, that
being the distance the yard should hang below the top.
Ii-on >f!£iHtH. Iron and steel are now almost exclu-
sively used for making masts and yards.
Figs. A, B, C, and D, Plate 40, are cross sections of iron
masts, showing some of the methods of construction.
Plate 41, illustrates the general method of construction
of a military mast of a modern battle ship.
Figs. E and F, Plate 40, show the mode of fitting wooden
trestle-trees to an iron mast. As there are no shoulders at
the hounds, special provision has to be made for supporting
the trestle-trees, and this is accomplished by worKin^ a
plate and a ring of angle-iron around the mast, and fittmg
Slate-knees, k k, which correspond with the bibbs usually
tted below the trestle-trees of a wooden mast. The plan E
shows the spread of the knees and the arrangement of tho
plaie and angle-iron below the trestle-tree.
It is usual to work doubling plates upon the lower masts
in tlie wake of the wedging decks. These plates give addi-
tional rigidity in wake or the wedges, and also prevent
corrosion in the mast-plate itself.
Fig. G, Plate 40, shows the ordinary mode of forming the
heel of an iron lower mast. The end of the mast is closed
by a circular plate fitted against and connected with the
outside plating. In the centre of this plate there is a square
hole, around which the angle-iron frame a is fitted, the
vertical flange of the angle-iron thus forming the sides of a
mortice in. the heel. When in place, the mast rests on a
stepping plate, upon which is riveted a rectangular box-
shaped frame of iron 6, and the tenon thus formed fits into
the mortice in the heel of the mast.
A man-hole is usually cut a few feet from the lower end
of an iron mast to give access to the interior and for ventila-
tion ; oth^r openings are also made at various heights for
the latter purpose.
Iron and steel have also been used in the construction of
topmasts, topgallant masts and yards, but in these spars the
advantages resulting from the cnange from wood are not so
great as in the case of lower masts. The details of con-
struction for the lighter spars do not differ greatly in prin-
ciple from those described for lower masts. The plating is
usually flush-jointed, and the larger spars have angle-iron,
or other interior stiflfeners.
IVXa.Htinjg'. In fitting out our men-of-war, advantage
is taken of every facility which a navy -yard affords. The
ringing is cut out by the draft furnished by the constructors,
using the Equipment Book of Allowances as a guide. The
.jl:."'~a..
i fn
MASTING. 65
masts are placed by the navy-yard sheers, and the hold
stowed by regular stevedores.
When the navy-yard sheers are used, the mast is brought
down from the spar-shed and placed with its head toward
the ship under the sheers, or masting-derrick. the garland
lashed on and the main purchase toggled, tne fall being
taken to the capstan, or crab, built for the purpose. Con-
venience determines which mast is to be taken in first.
After placing one mast, the ship is hauled ahead, or dropped
astern, to bring the other partners plumb under the purchase.
In the following outline of masting, the work is assumed
to be done without the conveniences of a yard. The vessel,
a frigate, is supposed to be lying in the stream, and her
spars, &c., towed off.
Proceed to support the spar-deck for the weight it will
have to sustain, oy shoring it up fore and aft,* particularly
those beams immediately under the places to be occupied
by the sheers when getting in the masts.
Sling skids outside leading from the gunwale to the
channels, and from the channels to tlie water's edge ; block
up a half -rounded spar in the hammock netting, the upper
surface being well slushed, to lead the parbuckle over, and
proceed.
To lieeve the Pai-bxTelcle, Fig. 269, Plate
42. The main parbuckle consists of a hawser of a suitable
size — say 5-incn — which is middled and the ends rove
through the spar deck ports, a few ports apart (the distance
depending on the length of the sheer legs), from out, in,
leaving tne bight outside. The sheer legs having been
towed alongside, with their heads aft, pass the after end of
the parbuckle down under the head of tne first sheer leg, up
over the gunwale to the opposite water-ways, where the end
is snatched and led forward, having a long luff clapped on
it, if found necessary. The forward end of the parbuckle
is led in like manner, taking it under the heel of the sheer
leg, and thence to the capstan.
Tlie Coixntei* lr*ai'l>iiclcleK^ a a, Fig. 269, are
rove in a contrary way, for easing the sheer legs inboard.
They are rove through the same ports, from in, out, leaving
the centre bight inboard, and the two end bights hanging
down inside to catch the sheer leg when it comes over the
gunwale ; the ends are led down through the gun deck ports
and taken around spars lashed fore and aft in the ports,
having hands to attend them to ease the sheer Icffs down.
Have a stout spar laid across the gunwale well ait to rest
the heads of the sheer legs on when on board.
When ready, clap on the luff, man the bars, and '^ walk
airay." When "high enough," or up with the gunwale,
* Shores are stout pieces of timber or joist, placed under a Ix-am and resting
on a block. To give the deck abore a projier support, tliey must bt* \vecJg(»d up.
66 MASTING.
^' avast heaving,'' arrange the counter parbuckles under
head and heel, and set taut. Now pull up on the main, and
ease away on the counter parbuckle, land the heel on the
deck, the head resting on the thwartship spar placed for the
purpose, roll it over, lift the heel over the capstan and get
it in its proper position for forming the sheers ; a spar may
be placed from the gunwale to the capstan, and the sheer
leg got thence to the opposite water-ways. The second
sheer le^ is got on board in the same manner, and placed
for lashing.
Note. Instead of using parbuckles, the sheer legs may
be got on board by means of a pair oi small sheers, raked
over the taff rail.
Fore and main topmasts or lotver yards may be used for
sheer legs ; in the latter case, the yard-arms must be well
strengthened, or fished and woolded, by lashing around
them small spars, or made fishes of stout oak plank, using
well-stretched rope, and tautening the lashes by wedges.
The lashing around the spar is termed a woolding.
The SlieerK. The sheer legs oein^ on board, cross
their heads (with the port leg uppermost if the masts are
taken in on the starboard side), square the heels and spread
them about two-thirds the breadth of beam at the mizzen
partners, so that when spread out to their full extent, the
sheer head lashings may be tautened.
For sheer head lashings, take a piece of good 3^ or 4-inch
rope, well stretched, middle it and make one end fast to the
sheer leg, near the cross ; with the other end pass the requi-
site number of figure-of-eight turns round both spars and
take a couple of half -hitches with the end around one leg.
With the first end, pass a number of round turns, filling up
the intervals between the figure-of-eight turns, pass irap-
Eing, or cross turns, and secure the two ends with a square
not.
After passing the sheer head lashing, spread the heels
and place them in the shoes. The shoes should be of stout
oak plank, long enough to rest upon at least two of the
spar deck beams. A saucer is cut out of the centre to rest
the heel in, and on the forward and after side an eye-bolt is
placed for lashing the heel to. There are eye-bolts in the
forward and after ends, for hooking fore and aft shoe-
tackles to, to aid in the transportation of the sheers. Lash
the heel to the shoe temporarily. Hook the after heel
tackles to straps around the heels and set them taut, and, as
an additional security, when raising the sheers, shift the
forward heel tackles ait.
The >£ain. I^u.i'chase. Lash on the upper
block of the main purchase, so that it will hang directly
under the cross. It should be a large threefold block,
strapped with two single straps and fitted with a large
thimble, to hang by a lashing passing over the cross of the
shear head.
r\-* — SignaJ Laoitra
1
-^
Enlaigcd SecHon on Xiat AJ^
Showing Ffiuning of MasU
MASTING. 67
The straps of the main purchase blocks should be well
parcelled and marled. The lower block is double-strapped,
with eyes for tojg^gling, Fig. 235, Plate 35. Take the lower
block of the main purchase to the bowsprit hole, and toggle
it there with a suitable spar.
The fall should be new 5^-in. Manila rope. Begin with
the stfinding part and reeve it from forward^ aft^ through
the side sheave of the upper block, beginning on the side
opposite to that intended tor taking in the masts ; thence
through the corresponding sheave in the lower block, and
so on until rove full, when clove hitch it around one of the
forks close to the lashing, and stop the end down to its
own part. Snatch the fall in some convenient place near
where the lower block has been toggled, and take it to the
capstan.
If apprehensive that the upper purchase block will slue
in its strap, by the greatest strain coming on one side, the
fall may oe rove so as to lead from the centre sheave —
but this brings a cross in the fall, and is, therefore, objec-
tionable.
Tlie Siiia.ll FurcliaKe^ Griivs, &c. The
upper block of the small purchase is double, and lashes to
the after fork so as to play clear of the main purchase.
Lash a single block to each fork above the small purchase and
reeve stout girtlines. For sheer-head guys, clove-hitch a
couple of stout hawsers over the sheer head, leading two
ends forward and two aft, and to each clap on a luflE-upon-
luff for convenience in setting up and easing off, without
surging. Belly guys are put on in the same way, about
one-third the distance down each leg, cleating the hitches
to prevent slipping, and clapping on luffs. On Qach sheer
leg just above the shoe, put good straps, and hook and
set well taut a thwartship tackle to ease the strain on the
water-ways ; lastly, pass a bulwark lashing either to the bul-
wark, or to a stout toggle placed outside of the spar-deck
ports.
Raisins* tlie Slieers. The main purchase fall,
being led to the capstan, the heels temporarily lashed to the
shoes, and the forward and after shoe and heel tackles, both
hooked aft, to prevent the sheers from launching forward
as the strain is brought on the main purchase ; the thwart-
ship heel tackle set well taut, and plenty of hands to take in
the slack of forward guys, and others to attend after ones,
man the capstan, and heave around, catching the sheers as
they rise, by the thwartship spar.
When nearly up and down, or at an angle of about
eighty degrees with the spar deck, " avast heaving," lash
the heels in the shoes securely, shift the forward heel and
shoe tackles, cast off the bulwark lashings, and transport
the sheers to just forward of the mizzen partners (having
previously wet the deck), by moving one leg at a time. The
<I8 MASTING.
sheers should have a slight rake aft, and the main purchase
hang plumb with the mast-hole. The fall may lead through
a blocK toggled through the ward-room sky-li^ht and thence
to the capstan. When the sheers are in position, set up the
after head and belly guys, leading to the quarters ; ana the
forward ones, leading well forward ; set taut the th wartship
tackle, and pass the bulwark lashings, or substitute for it a
good tackle — the main object of which is to prevent the
opposite heel from rising when raising the mast from the
water. Now overhaul down outside the main purchase and
toggle to the garland on the mizzen-mast. Fig. 271,
Plate 42.
Tlie r>er*i*icl«:. It may occur that the angle of
the sheers with the deck, before raising, is so small that
the main purchase will not be effective, in which case
it will be necessary to start them up with a derrick, as
follows :
A small stout spar (say a stump top-gallant mast) is
placed between the cross of the sheer-forks, where it is re-
tained by a loose lashing. Hook a stout tackle from the
head of this spar to the sneers, and attach two other (cant-
ing and heel) jiggers together with head-guys, as in Fig.
272, Plate 43. With these, get it erect, slushing the spar
and the forks at their points of contact. Now, with the
assistance of the tackle, the head of the sheers c&n be
elevated to a considerable degree, and the main purchase
made to act, at an an^le sufficiently great, to raise the
sheers without further difficulty.
Gretting- in tlie Lo>vev l^Ja wt k. The mizzen
mast is taken in first, because the breadth of beam is less
aft, and the sheers, as they are transported forward spread
the heels and tauten the sneer head lashings ; and for the
reason, that getting in the foremast last, the sneers may be
better secured and raked for getting in the bowsprit.
Tlie Oartancl, Fig. 273, if used, should be of good
four-inch rope, made selvageo fashion, marling it with small
stuflf. It is lashed on the forward side of the mast about
six-tenths from the tenon, so that the mast will hang a little
heel heavy. The distance from the heel must in any event
be such that the garland may not take in the partners be-
fore the heel is landed. The garland lashing is passed as
in Fig. 273. After passing enough turns, dog the ends
down the forward part of the mast and seize them together.
The garland should be lashed on before the mast is put in
the water, not only for the greater convenience, but the
subsequent wetting tautens the lashings very considerably.
If the small purchase is used — as in getting in the main and
foremasts, its garland is placed on the mast as far above the
main garland, as the small purchase block is lashed on
above the main. If practicable, the lower purchase blocks
are lashed to the mast and the garlands dispensed with.
MASTING. (il>
To talce lii t lic^ >IizKe]iL->f;a^st9 Fig. 271. Tow
the mizzen-mast alon^ide with the head aft. Having over-
hauled down the main purchase abaft, shove the two eyes
of the lower block strap through the garland and toggle it,
usine a small lashing to s^uard against slipping.
^Man the capstan and "heave around, observing that
the skids and mats, or whatever has been placed to protect
the ship's side from chafing, are properly adjusted. When
the mast-head is up with the gunwale, "avast heaving,"
lash a couple of stout single blocks to the tenon, one on each
side, and reeve girtlines, taking the precaution to knot the
ends together to prevent unreeving. Put a couple of good
straps around the mast, just above the futtock band, for
pendant tackles, and bend the canting girtline, froip the
sheer-head to the mast, just below the bibbs ; sway up again
until high enough ; ease the heel inboard by a jigger, com-
ing up the belly guy, which must be set up agam. Pull
up on the canting line and point the mast fair for stepping,
wipe the heel dry, and white-lead the tenon and mortise,
have hands on the gun-deck to keep the mast on the right
slue, and carpenters on the berth-deck to attend at the step,
lower away and step the mast. Sway up three pendant
tackles and hook them to the straps aoout the mast-
head— the two at the side set up in the channels, and one
fore-and-aft to act as a stay ; set taut the tackles and
wedge the mast temporarilv. When nearly stepped, a
stout strap and heaver may be used to get the mast on the
right slue.
Come up the purchases and take off the garlands. Cast
off the bulwark lashing, man the guys, shoe and heel
tackles, and transport the sheers, one leg at a time, observ-
ing to wet the decks and come up the thwartship tackle in
the wake of obstructions ; get them a little forward of the
main partners, rake and secure them as before.
If the sheers are high enough or can be made available
by spanning the fork above the sheer-head lashing, send up
the tressle-trees, &c., of each mast, before transporting
them to take in the rest.
Take the main and foremast in, in the same manner,
with the additional use of the small purchase.
Should the sheers prove too short, the fork above the
lashing may be spanned by a stout rope and the upper block
of the small purchase lashed to the span. If the garland
takes in the partners before the mast is stepped, tlie heel
may be rested on blocks, or stout planks, the mast steadied by
the guys and the garland shifted higher. Should the sheer-
legs be found too slender and to complain, a spar may be
lashed across from one to the other, in the wake of the
guys.
When both purchases are employed in getting in heavy
masts, a good plan, and one which obviates the necessity of
70 MASTING.
heavers on the heeler, is to lash the garlands, a little on each
side, and not in the same right line with the axis of the
mast. Then, bv slacking one purchase and holding on the
other, it may be slued at pleasure. The position of the
small garland should be at the distance of its purchase
block, from that of the large one, on the sheers, above the
main, so that the falls cannot come two blocks except at
the same time.
When, in dismasting, a mast is jammed in the step, a
gentle roll given to the ship will start it.
To «-et in tli<- I Jowsspi-it, Fiff. 276 A, Plate 44.
Transport the sheers as far forward as the bows will permit ;
send a hand to the sheer head, bend a girtline to the small
purchase block and light it up ; unlasTi and shift it to the
forward side of the sheer head. Pass a strap around the
foremast head, to which hook the double block of a large
tackle ; the other block take aft and set well taut. Lash a
couple of large blocks to the foremast head ; middle a haw-
ser and clove-hitch it around the sheer head, reeve the ends
through the blocks at the foremast head, lead them aft
and set them up ; take aft the forward head-guys, which,
with the after ones, are to be set up, and the forward belly
guys to the cat-head ; hook the after-shoe and heel-tackles
forward and set them taut. Rake the sheers over the bows
so that the main purchase will clear the billet-head.
The bowsprit is towed under the bows, with the head for-
ward, the cap on, and the main garland lashed on a little
over one-third its length out from the heel, or so that it will
hair^ head heavy. The small garland, lash on just inside
of til '^. cap. Have guys or whips from eye-bolts in the cap
to the cat-heads, and an eye-bolt in the heel for the bedding
tackle which leads from the bitts on the gun-deck out
through the bowsprit partners.
In getting in a bowsprit in modern vessels, the thrust of
the heel, owmg to the necessary lead of the purchases may
be so great as to push the heel inboard too soon, before it is
pointed fair for placing. To diminish the thrust and get the
spar on the right slue use a fore-and-aft outrigger (stunsail
vard) with one end against the neck of the strap on the
lower purchase block, and the other controlled by two
heel tackles.
Sway away on the main and small purchases, steadying
the spar by the guys. When the heel is high enough, nook
the bedding tackle. Wipe the tenon dry, and white-lead it
and the mortise. Keep fast the small purchase ; ease away
on the main and bowse on the bedding-tackle and cat-head
guys, and get the bowsprit in its place. Come up the pur-
chases and guys, and unlash the garlands.
The bowsprit rests on the stem nead, between the knight-
heads, and steps in the bowsprit partners — on the gun-deck
in a frigate and on the spar-deck in a sloop-of-war. It
MASTIN(i. 71
comes inboard about one-third its length. If the cap was
not on, it may be shipped by means of a small pair of
sheers, stepped on the bees.
If, by taking the forward head gujs well aft, and setting
them up, the support is found sufficient, the hawser at the
sheer head may be dispensed with.
To I>i«iiiantle tlie Shoei's. Proceed now
to dismantle the sheers. Take the after heel tackles aft,
come up the bulwark lashing, and rouse the heels aft, easing
away the forward heel tackles, the head guys and the
hawser, and lower away until the sheer heads rest on the
kni^ht-heads ; strip the sheer legs, cast oflf the sheer head
lashing and get each leg aft in the gangway ; unreeve the
hawser from the foremast-head and send down the single
blocks. Put straps on the ends of the sheer legs and hook
the fore and mam pendant tackles to them, liaving the
opposite tackles set well taut. Hook to the same straps,
jiggers leading in from the channels. Pull up on tne
t^kles, rouse out by the jiggers and lower the sheer leg
overboard, taking care to have skids in the proper places to
prevent chafe, or the spars taking against the dead-eyes
m the channels. Or, the sheer-legs may be got down by
lashing their heads separately to the lower mast, casting
oflf the cross lashing and lowering them by means of the
pendant tackles.
In masting or dismasting with one's own resources, it is
necessary to measure the lengths for slinging the masts
very accurately, so as to make sure of carrying the heel
clear of the iipper deck, and yet avoid, if possible, top-
heaviness. Wnen the spars are shork for the work (as in
the case of the topmasts of a high ship), the masts must be
sluDg so low as to make top-heaviness unavoidable. In
^oing out, when the heel of the mast is near the upper-
deck partners, tackles are put on above from each side of
the upper-deck, and one strong and long one, led from
below tnrough the lower mast holes, is lashed to the heel,
and well cleated each way. The tackles are tautened until,
the heel being clear of the partners, they are eased
away, and the mast lowered head foremost overboard.
Fig. 274.
In coming in, the mast is slung above the balancing
point and hoisted with an extra taclde alongside the sheers ;
the purchases are then lashed low enough down, and the
heel is confined to the side by the turns oi a greased hawser
passed through the ports ; or, in a merchant ship, through
the ballast-hole. When the heel is nearly up to tne highest
bight, deck-tackles are lashed on from all sides, which are
cleated in their place. These are tautened as the mast
rises, and guy the heel, when high enough, into the mast-
hole.
In handling a bowsprit with your own resources use the
jibboom and spare topmast for sheer legs ; or, if the fore-
7t MASTINd.
topmast is sent on deck, it may be used as one of the le^s.
The sheer head may be supported by the foretop pendants
thus : Each pendant is talcen through its top block at the
lower mast head, thence through a top block on the upper
side of each sheer head in waSe of the lashing, and made
fast at the foremast-head. The after ends of tne pendants
have the top tackles clapped on to them, led from as far aft
as possible. Take the usual precautions in shoring the
decKS, etc. Bring the inner purchase as close in to the
heel of the bowsprit as the housing permits, and the outer
purchase well inside the cap. Use the spar above described
to counteract the thrust in coming in. The position of the
purchase blocks on the bowsprit is determined by the length
of the sheer legs, which in this case would be comparatively
short. The bowsprit might have to come up athwartships,
when suspended, to clear the billet head. This slueing is
effected by the tackle from one of the catheads ; the tackle
from the opposite cathead will slue the spar fore and aft
again when above the billet head, the heel tackle being
previously hooked to assist in placing the bowsprit.
A long topgallant forecastle wiU make it diflScult to
handle the bowsprit with improvised sheers alone, as they
are too short to get sufficient cant and make the main pur-
chase clear the billet head. In that case the sheers may be
assisted by a topmast used as a derrick. Fig. 276 B, Plate
44, shows such a derrick, the sheers being represented as
formed of two lower yards, fished.
Vessels with long topgallant forecastles are likely to
have comparatively light head booms and short bowsprits.
In such cases a topmast alone, used as a derrick, might suf-
fice to get in the bowsprit.
A neat performance in the history of Masting on one's
own resources was in the case of an English line-of -battle
ship, which, having lost her own mainmast, helped herself
in one operation to that of a captured frigate. Sheers were
formed of the main-topmasts, whose heads were supported
by guys set up to the fore-topmasts, which were rigged out
through the main deck ports on the off-side. A derrick
was made of the main yard, which was secured at its lower
quarter to the sheer leg on the working side, the pressure
at this point being relieved by an athwart-ship spar, thrust-
ing outward, by means of a tackle led across the deck. The
purchase on the upper arm of the derrick took the mast out,
the frigate was dropped astern, the mast lowered until the
sheer purchase "looked" well up and down, when that
tackle Drought it in. Fig. 275, Plate 43.
Besides carrying duplicates of some of the important
spars, vessels of war are supplied with iron fishes of various
sizes. With these and the heavy planking, &c., furnished in
the outfit, there is a large amount of material available for
effecting repairs to the spars and masts when necessary, or
for rigging jury masts and yards.
Plate 45
BMB.srs
fM 1 « * ♦ ♦ < 7 » » tf
•CALI OF FEET AND INCHES.
THE RUDDER. 73
THE RUDDER.
Fig. "277, Plate 45, represents the ordinary forrn of rudder
of wooden vessels. Around the pintles, A A A, the wood is
removed so as to allow the rudder to ship on tiie gudgeons.
C C C. In all but the topmost space the wood is removed
so as to leave a vacant place, as shown in the figure, but
by the topmost pintle the wood is cut square, as seen in the
figure at d. This is in order to admit a small piece of oak
under the upper pintle after the rudder has been shipped.
This piece of oak is called a wood lock (d), and is intended
to prevent the rudder from unshipping. Under the second
gudeeon a strong cleat is sometimes placed, on which the
pintle partly rests. This relieves the gudgeons of much
strain.
For modem vessels of war the rudder consists of a frame
of cast iron or steel of the required shape, covered with
metal plates riveted to both sides of the frame ; the space
between the plates being filled with wood or some light
material.
BAck - Olistins. It is frequently necessary for
steamers to back against the helm; but in doing so the
strain brought on the rudder and its fitments is immense.
Tug-boats guard against such accidents by using back-
chains. These are cnain pendants which attach to the
after-part of the rudder and to some point under the
counter, one each side, and of such a length as to give
ample support to the rudder when backing with the helm
hard over.
Instead of these chain pendants, many tugs and small
steam craft have chocks bolted to the rudder-post on each
side, and of such shape as to limit the motion of the rudder
to an angle of 45"" in either direction.
CHAPTER VIII.
STANDING RIGGING.*
The standing rigging of a ship consists of a quantity of
ropes for the support of the masts, yards, and booms.
Each mast is supported from forward by stays, from aft
by backstays, and sideways by shrouds. The foremast is
supported in a great measure irom the bowsprit, therefore
theoowsprit has a number of extra stays, called bobstays.
These, and such ropes as are stationary, constitute the stand-
ing rigging.
The standing rigging of modern vessels is composed of
steel wire rope.
Wire rope now in use in the U. S. Navy for standing
* rigging, is right-handed, of six strands. The individual
wires forming the strand are of a size (larger or smaller)
corresponding to the full size of the rope, ranging from
Xos. U to 1 •.> A. W. G.
In the Navy, all wire rope is measured and designated by
its circumference, but bridge builders, and others than sea-
men, often use the diameter to designate the size of wire
rope.
Wire rope is reeled for stowage or transportation on
strong wooden reels. To take wire rope off a reel, cast
loose the outside end. which is secured to the reel, and make
it fast to a bolt in the floor of rigging-loft or deck.. Place
the reel on its edges, with the rope end underneath, roll th(>
reel along the floor to a point a little beyond the length re-
quired, then clap on a strap and tackle near the reel, leav-
ing enough space between the strap and the secured end to
measure off the required length. Haul the rope taut along
the floor, place a mark close up to the secured end. Then
measure off from the mark the number of feet and inches
required. Make allowance for end enough to work either
for splice or to turn up, and place within an inch of each
other two strong bindings or ivhippings to keep the ends
of wire in place when it is sawed off.
If the wire is to be served the full length, it would be
better to get it on a stretch before cutting, but if the ends
are to be spliced into eyes, then with a hack-saw, kept well
oiled, saw the wire in two between the whippings, secure
the end of the rope to the reel and put it away.
* For much nf the information concerning wire rigging, our thanks are due
to Boatswain John A. Brisco, U. S. N.
74
Plate 46
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£ 5
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RIGGING. 75
Should it be required to take all the wire from the reel,
then the reel will be rolled as far as circumstances admit,
back and forth, till all the rope is oflf. The rope can then be
taken up and put on a stretch just as it lies upon the floor
without taking turns out for stretching.
A piece of |-inch iron chain, about 3 feet lon.^, with a
ring in each end, one ring sufficiently lar;^6 to let the other
reeve through it, is the best strap to be used in putting
heavy wire rope on a stretch. Plenty of protection should
be put on the rope to prevent the chain from injuring the
wire.
Wire rope, not galvanized, is best protected from
weather ana wear if painted with boiled linseed oil and red
lead, well mixed, and filled well into the lays, wormed and
parcelled with cotton sheeting, so cut and laid on that the
overlapping will give two thicknesses over all the rope, then
painted again and served tight and close over all. If
properly done, this will keep out water for years.
Cii-ttiiig- fUg-^ing- l>^ I>i'alt« Having an
accurate draft of the null and spars of a ship, Fi^. 284,
Plate 46, the measures may be reaaily taken and the rigging
cut and fitted so that it can be sent aloft as soon as the
masts are ready to receive it. It not unf requently happens
that a gang of ringing is completed and triced up out of the
way, in the rigging loft, long before the ship is ready to
take it.
Rigging drafts are usually made on an ^-inch scale (one-
eighth inch = one foot).
The half beam at each mast is usually noted on the draft
at the respective channels, but the location of dead-eyes
seldom, and therefore the rigger must ^et the measurements
from the vessel. As no beam draft is now furnished, an
qdjustable beam scale, Fig. 287, Plate 48, is employed (which
is graduated to the same scale as is the draft) with a sliding
rest and set screw. Another adjustable beam scale, Fig. 285,
is in the form of a hollow square of metal, graduated on its
four exterior sides to different fractional parts of an inch.
The sliding rest for the point of the dividers may be applied
to any one of the four sides to correspond with the scale
used in the draft.
Before working on the draft scale, measure carefully the
square of the mast-head iust in line with the upper side of
bolster. The measure oi the square is used to fit the pen-
dants, but for eyes of the lower rigging, five square of the
actual girth measure is used. The mast-heads are rounded
for wire rigging, iron or composition plates being let in
and secured on each comer oi the mast-head to round it
oflE.
Lowei? ]Mast-liead. Pendants. Should bp
fitted long enough to hang one foot below the f uttock band,
and both legs are now fitted the same length, with an iron
76 RIGGING.
thimble and large link in each end. Fig. 2H(), Plate 47. In
measuring for lower mast-head pendants, find the distance
from top of trestle-tree to one foot below f uttock band, add
one thickness of trestle-tree, and half square of mast-head,
which, doubled, will be the combined length of starboard
and port leg. Allow enough on each end to turn in the thim-
ble. Now paint, worm, parcel, paint again and serve, double
serve with spun-yarn the place retjuired for the thimble, and
splice in the thimble. Double serve from centre of pendant
to a distance equal to one-half the mast-head, plus the thick-
ness and depth of trestle-tree each way.
When this is finished take tarred flax parcelling, begin
just above where the double service ends and parcel up to
the centre of pendant. This is called the heading. From
the centre mark of each pendant, lay off and mark each way
one half the square of the mast-head as the place for the
cross-lashings. Marl on the parcelling with strong marline,
the hitches not more than half an inch apart, being careful
to put no hitches where the cross-lashings are to come.
Take two pieces of wood about three inches wide and one
inch thick, equal in length to one square of mast-head, lay
the two pendants side by side to verify the marks, then
spread them apart till the pieces of wood can be placed
across from pendant to pendant, just outside the marks
where the cross-lashing is to go, allowing room to (comfort-
ably work the lashing. See Plate 47, Fig. 2S(i. With a piece
of strong seizing stuff with a long eye, proceed to put on a
regular round seizing from pendant to pendant, being cart»-
ful to keep outside of the mark, or the sciuare will be too
small to go over the mast-head. Having i)assed the riding
turns of the lashing, secure its end. Then around the cro^s-
lashing close up to the pendants put a good seizing of house-
line, being careful to bring all parts of the cross-lashing close
together, and marl the lashing together, parcel with thin
stuff and woold with a strand, then with tarred flax parcel-
ling protect the lashing, cover well the turns around the
pendants and marl all down. Leave the wooden strips in
till the pendants are about to be put over the mast-head.
A link is put into the end of the pendant because it is
so much easier hooked into than in the thimble in the stiff
wire.
The mizzen pendants are of smaller rope than the fore
and main, and can be fitted in the same manner, with a cut
splice, or spanned to a pair of odd shrouds, as is sometimes
the case. When pendants are to be fitted in the latter way,
the odd shroud and pendants spanned together go on the
mast-head first. The odd shroud is fitted straight and passes
over the bolsters from side to side abaft, as if it were an
after-pendant, and the span is fitted as above described for
double pendants. In small vessels, and when there is no
odd shroud, the mizzen pendants are fitted with a cut splice,
CAlHTOHiln;
RIGGING. 77
the cut eye to be one foot longer at each end than the eye
for a shroud, with ^ood seizings at the proper places.
The eyes are purposely made too large to prevent injury to
the splice in opening the eye.
To ]M[ea«ri.i*e tox» IVo. 1, oi* Fix^st A-*aii?
of SIii*ou.cIh. These comprise the swifter and next
shroud, or, as called by riggers, " forward leg" and "after
leg," and they go over the mast-head next after the pend-
ants and always on the starboard side.
The beam-scale. Figs. 285 or 287, being adjusted to the
mark representing the half -beam of the vessel, minus half
the diameter of the mast, place it on the draft just at the
upper edge of channel at the dead-eye of the first shroud.
Place one point of the dividers at the top line of trestle-tree
near the forward side of mast-head ana the other point on
the beam-scale at the mark indicating the half -beam, apply
the dividers to the rule and observe the number of feet and
inches it gives according to the scale on which the draft is
made ; this will give the length of the forward shroud, or
•'forward leg," of No. 1 pair, without the eve. Then pro-
ceed to measure for the next shroud or after-leg in the same
manner, moving the beam-scale to the second dead-eye.
There will be very little difference in the length of the two
first legs. Having the length of both legs of No. 1 pair ol
shrouds, take their sum and add five squares of the mast-
head, plus the diameter of the lower mast-head pendants,
as the shrouds w^ill *'pile," or rise, that much on the mast-
head. This will give the extreme length of No. 1 pair.
Having the rope on a stretch, hang it, with tricing lines
at short intervals to prevent sagging. Commence measur-
ing from a mark near the strap on the end, the length cf the
forward leg. Then continue along to measure five squares
of the mast-head, being careful to leave at the centre (which
will be the centre of eye) a special mark, usually a long
strand. Then measure and mark the after-leg, and in the
same manner measure and mark all the other shrouds, not
forgetting to add for the second pair of shrouds twice the
thickness of a finished eye ; for the third pair three times
the thickness, &c., as each succeeding shroud must '* pile "
that much in rising above the others on the mast-head. As
each pair of shrouds is measured, marked and cut, it is
l)ainted from end to end with red lead and boiled oil [being
particular to fill well in the lay], wormed and parcelled with
new cotton sheeting. In putting on this parcelling com-
mence from the end of each leg, working towards the cen-
tre of eye. The parcelling should be so put on that the rope
will be protected with two thicknesses at every point ; paint
over the parcelling, and serve from end to end with spun
yam, commencing to serve from the centre and serving
towards the ends. Measure off from the centre mark each
way the half eye, which gives the place for the upper turn
78 KftGIxN^a.
of the eye-seizine. Start two feet below these eye-seizing
marks, on each leg, and parcel with tarred flax canvas to
the center of eye, and serve over with roundline. Double
serve the end of each shroud from the place of the quarter-
seizing for its dead-eye. Bring the two ends of the shroud
together and break the eye around till the two eye-seizing
marks come firmly together. Mark one foot below the eye-
seizing on each leg, and with strong ilax parcelling put on
the heading, which is just the same as parcelling, always
commencing below and working up to the centre on both
legs so that the edge of the ''heading" will overlap and
form a *' shingling," which it is often termed. Use the sel-
vage edge of parcelling stuff for shingling, leaving the sel-
vage out ; this makes smooth work that will not fray out.
Se(;ure the heading in place by marline hitches, which
should be on top not more than one-half inch apart, leaving
a space for the eye-seizing without hitches. Put on the eye-
seizing.
Should there be an odd shroud in the fore or main rig-
ging, it is fitted with an eye-splice, and goes over the mast-
head last, the eye to be splicea one foot longer than the eye
of a pair of shrouds, and seized together above the splice
so as to have the same size as it would have if of a pair ; the
eye to be double served and headed in the same manner as
all the others.
jVEizxen IRig-g-ingr is fitted in the same manner as
the fore and main, excepting in the case of an odd shroud,
which is fitted ''straignt," passing over across the mast-
head abaft and forming one leg on each side, being spanned
at the mast-head with the pendants, of which the mizzen
has in this case but one on each side. In large ships the
mizzen lower mast-head pendants are often fitted witn four
legs, in the same manner as is tho fore and main.
Sword mats are put over the service on the ,swifters (for-
ward shrouds) pf lower rigging.
UowHpi-it TMg-g-ing-. Bobstays are now made of
iron chain shackled into the cutwater and set up with four
scored hearts secured to bands on the bowsprit. To find the
length of bobstays, measure from the band under the bow-
sprit at the place prepared for the upper heart, to the bolt
or link in cutwater, then find the number of feet and inches
the two hearts will occupy and the drift of laniard, add to-
gether and subtract the sum from the extreme length ; the
remainder will be the length of the chains required for the
bobstays. Care should be taken that the bobstays have the
same drift of laniard, as it adds to the trimness of the head
gear.
13o>vspi:*it Slii*oxi.<is are fitted of wire and lead
well down on the bows, shackled to eye-bolts and set up
with three scored hearts on the bowsprit. To find the
length by draft, measure from the band on bowsprit at the
RIGGING. 79
place marked to the place in the bow, and from the extreme
measm-e deduct the arift of laniard and one heart. The rea-
son of but one heart being deducted, is that the measure of
the other allows for the " carry out" of the shroud. Too
much care cslnnot be taken in fitting the gear and securing
the bowsprit, as it not only has all the head booms to sup-
port, but in a great measure the foremast with its topmast
and topgallant mast, together with the main topmast and
topgallant mast.
Fove Stays are fitted with lashing eye collars and
set up with laniards and four scored hearts. Measure for
fore stays from the after-side of foremast head, about one
foot above the trestle-trees, to the place where the lower
heart is to be, and allow about three feet for lashing eyes.
To fofm. the Collax* ot'the Stay. Suppose
the finished collar i.; to be twelve feet, then at fifteen feet
from the upper end of the rope put on a wliipping. This
marks the crotch of the stay. Unlay from the end to tin*
whipping, forming two legs of three strands each; cut out
the heart close to the whipping, and put in another one-
third smaller than the original.
Work in two strands eighteen feet long (the additional
three feet for tucking at crotch) on each side, thus giving
two legs of five strands each and a heart. These strands
are tucked at the crotch as in an eye splice. Eye splices
are worked in the end of each leg for lashing eyes. The
lashing eyes are painted, wormed, parcelled, painted, and
served in the eye before tucking. Get the stay on a stretch
by lashing the toggles to posts four or five feet apart, get a
strong tackle on the end, heave it up straight and trim the
splices. Paint, worm, parcel, paint again, and serve with
spun-yarn from end to end, being careful to have a good
piece of parcelling laid through the crotch to shed the
water. Tnen, from four feet below the crotch, parcel with
tarred flax parcelling to eyes of collar, and leather over the
parcelling, serving over the ends of the leather and over
the splices. Having both stays double served and leathered,
place one over the other, being careful to keep the crotches
fair and even. Then seize both stays together with one
good heavy seizing close up to the crotch, and smaller ones
at every two feet along the collars. Parcel and leather
over the seizings. Double serve the ends of fore stays to
eight feet above the nip around the thimble.
IVXain Stay h are fitted in the same manner as fore
stays, excepting the double service on end, wjiich is only
from quarter seizing around thimble to end. Sometimes if
the smoke-stack, when up, is near the stays, a piece of
chain is shackled into the stay just over the stact. The
main stays generally set up witn four scored hearts, the
lower heart oeing secured to iron straps made for the
purpose, one on each side of the foremast. The iron rods or
80 RIGGING.
strapsr lead down to the berth deck, frequently passintr
through the bitt standards and setting up with a nut on
the forward side.
>Iizzeii Sta^>'H are always single, with the collars
fitted and lashed, same as fore or main stays. On some
vessels the end is split into tv/o Icp^s to admit the main try-
sail mast, and each leg fitted with a thimble to set up by
laniard to bolts on each side of main-mast. On others the
end is turned up around a thimble and set up with three
scored hearts to the after-side of main-mast.
The ends of all stays turn up under the standing parts.
The ends of all shrouds turn up inside the standing parts.
K'txttocli SliT'oxidtss are made of rod iron set up
with turn-buckles. The required lengths are best obtained
by actual measurement after the top is on. In small ships
futtock shrouds are rattled down. Futtock shrouds are
set up independently to the top rim, and not to the plates of
the topmast dead-eyes. The lower ends secure to the
futtock band.
Note. — In the above measurements for shrouds it is
assumed that by measuring from the place of the lower
dead-eye, on the channel, enough allowance is made for
turning up the shroud around the thimble of the upper
dead-eye. But if the drift of the laniard added to the
diameter of both dead-eyes does not allow enough shroud
to turn up, extra length must be added for that purpose to
each measurement taken.
The amount allowed for turning up is six feet for the
forward shroud of large rigging, a proportionately smaller
amount for smaller rope. After shrouds have somewhat
more turn up than forward ones, in order to bring the ends
themselves parallel to the sheer.
Upper dead-eyes are usually in line with or below the rail.
When lower rigging has been set up for some time, or
after a ship has experienced heavy weatner, it will be found
that the shrouds will not lie exactly above one another, but
settle, the necks of the eyes working partly inside of each
other. The effect is to slacken the rigging, particularly
the after shrouds, which settle most, and which may re-
quire turning in again to keep the dead-eyes in line, a
diflicult operation with wire rope. If the allowance for
piling were two-thirds of a diameter of the shrouds, instead
of a whole diameter, as at present, it is believed that much
of this inconvenience could be avoided, although a few of
the after dead-eyes might not come quite to their places
when the shrouds are first set up.
Topmast ItMg-g-ing-. To measure for topmast
shrouds from the scale draft, proceed on the same principle
as for lower shrouds. Set the beam scale to one-half the
spread of the top from the side of the mast, allowing for the
rounding of the top ; place the beam scale on the draft
RIGGING. 81
abreast of the proper dead-eye, and measure the distance
with dividers from the top of the sliding rest to the top of the
trestle-tree. Add for each pair the diameter of the mast plus
the thickness of the trestle-trees, and make the usual allow-
ance for turning up from the nip of the dead-eye thimble.
Topmast rigging is fitted in the manner known as
^' straight that is, the shroud goes from the upper dead-eye
on one side over the trestle-trees to the upper dead-eye on
the other, two shrouds being seized on each side of the mast
.thus forming the eye, which gives two '•lifts" or thick-
nesses on the mast-head, with four shrouds on each side,
making a snug and neat mast-head. This answers very
well for ships intended to do most of their cruising under
steam ; but cannot be recommended when sail is to be carried
to any extent. All the strain comes on the seizing.
It should be painted, wormed, parcelled, painted again,
and served the entire length. The shrouds double served
from centre of eye to three or four feet below the futtock-
staff. The length of heading from centre of eye down to
one foot below the eye-seizing is put on the same as for the
lower rigging.
Catharpins are of wire rope, wormed, painted, and par-
celled, and double served throughout ; fitted with eyes in
each end, and go abaft the mast and seize together in the
centre. •
The topmast-head ' (burton) pendants are wire rope, fitted
with a shackle in one end and a link in the other ; the
shackle connecting to a link under the trestle-trees. Each
topmast has two pendants. The lower ends of pendants
hang six inches below the catharpin legs.
Pendants are fitted the same as topmast rigging, without
double service, except around their thimbles.
Sword mats are substituted for double service on the
Bwifters of topmast rigging.
Topg-allant Sliroxi<i». The easiest way to
measure for length of topgallant shrouds is to draw a figure
to scale, showing the top, the position of the futtock-staff,
and position and spread of cross-tree. Measure on that
draft from the topgallant mast-head to the horn of the
cross-tree, thence to futtock -staff and into the top, where
the shroud sets up. Allow for each pair enough for a neat
eye around the funnel, and ends for turning up.
The shrouds are painted, wormed, parcelled, painted
again, and served the entire length, and go over the funnel
on the mast-head. They are fitted in pairs, with eyes formed
like the eyes of lower rigging, and seized so as to fit snug
over the funnel.
The forward legs are double served from the centre of
eve to one foot below the f uttock-stafli of topmast rigging ;
tne after leg is double served from centre oi eye, three feet
down ; then from a point one foot above cross-trees to one
82 RIGGING.
foot below the f uttock-staff : both legs are leathered in the
wake of cross-trees, and set up in the top with dead-eyes.
R/oyal Slix*oiicli§i9 Stay « and Backstays*
Measure for each to where it leads and sets up, allowing"
enough end to turn up in the wake of the thimble.
Fore. — Are painted, wormed, narcelled, painted again*
and served the entire length, and ntted to an iron funnel or
band, which has three eyes at equal distances apart, one on
each side and one forward. The shroud and backstay are
one piece, rove through a side eye of the band and seized
around a thimble there. Double service one foot down on
the shroud and backstay from centre of eye, double service
on the shroud, leathered in the nip of the jack. The stay is
spliced around a thimble on the lorward eye of the band,
double served and leathered in the nip of the flying jib-boom,
in the clamp on the dolphin striker, and also where it reeves
through the leader on the bowsprit.
Royal shrouds set up in the top with a purchase ; stays
and backstays with dead-eyes.
Main, — Fitted and set up the same as the fore ; double
service and leathered at the nip of the chock in the fore-
topmast trestle-trees.
Mizzen, — Fitted and set up the same as the main ; double
service and leathered at the nip of the chock in the main-
topmast cross-trees.
IH^oi*e-topiiias5t Sta,yK. Measure from after
part of topmast-head to the bees, thence to place of setting
up ; make allowance for turning up. They are fitted sepa-
rate ; single service throughout ; collars the same as fore
and main ; double service From ten feet above the bowsprit
to one foot inside of the leader under the bees ; leathered
over double service from four feet above the bees to eight
inches inside the leader, under the bees. Set up with three-
scored hearts.
The service on the port (spring) stay is omitted in the
wake of the stay-sail hanks.
•Til> Sta^y. Measure from after part of topmast-
head to where it leads and sets up. To be fitted like fore-
topmast stays, with split collars, lashing-eyes, &c. ; served
from four feet above the boom to the end where it sets up ;
double service and leathered in the nip of the clamp on the
dolphin-striker, and also where it goes through the bees,
leathered over the surface from four feut above to eight
inches below the boom ; collars of jib and topmast stays
seized together below the crotch around the stays, seizings
parcelled and leathered. Set up with three-scored hearts.
i\Jaii:i-t<>x>in.ast Sta^'H. Measure and fittings
similar to fore-topmast stays } in long ships, with great dis-
tances between fore and mam masts, they may be brought
directly to the deck near the foremast ;* out in short ships
* It would bo better if this lead could be adopted in all ships, Ixit the smoke-
stack frequently interferes.
RIGGING. 83
they pass through chocks between the fore trestle-trees, and
set up on deck with three-scored hearts. Nips double served
and leathered ; collars seized together in the loft.
3J[i2SKeii-topiiia,st Ststy. Measure and fittings
similar to main-topmast stays, and set up in the raain-top
with three-scored hearts.
Fore-topg-allant Stay. Measure to where it
leads and sets up, allowinc^ for neat eye-splice around funnel.
Painted, wormed, parcelled, painted again, and served the
entire length ; double served on the eye around the funnel,
and from twelve feet above to one foot below the jib-boom ;
also in the wake of the nip of the clamp on the dolphin-
striker, and where it reeves through the bees, or leader
under the bees. All nips to be leathered. Stay set up with
dead-eyes.
3i]Ai]:i-topg'a,lla.]:it Sta;^-. Measure and fit like
the fore, and set up with dead-eyes in the fore-top. Double
served and leathered at the hole in the fore-cap through
which it leads, also leathered about three feet oelow tne
crotch of the eye-splice.
>Xi2czeii-top^a.ll£tiit Ststy^ Measure and fit as
above. Served, leathered, and led through a hole in the
main-cap and set up in the main-top.
I^l>^iiig'-«Til:> Stay. Measure and fit with an eye-
splice, similar to topgallant stay. Double served ; served
and leathered three feet below the crotch of splice, in all
other respects fitted like the jib stays. Set up with dead-eyes.
•ril> Cttiivh are of wire rope, painted, wormed, par-
celled, painted again, and served the entire length ; double
served and leathered in the wake of whiskei-s, over which
they fit with horseshoe cringles ; outer ends shackle to a
band on the boom end : set up to the bows, or cat-head, with
three-scored hearts.
I^'^lviii<*--.Iil> Cir\\y>i are of wire rope, fitted, set up
to the bows, or cat-head, with three-scored nearts, and con-
nected with the boom, same as jib guys ; reeve through
thimbles in a strap out on the whisker yard-arms. Double
served and leathered in the nip of the thimbles.
Ar"V^liiHl£ei*-«Txiiiiperw are of wire rope ; painted,
wormed^ parcelled, painted again, and served throughout ;
fitted witn an eye-splice, double served and leathered, to fit
over the whisker-boom end ; the inner end leathered in the
nip, and set up on its own part through a bull's eye con-
nected to a bolt 01^ the cut-water. .
^Baok HopeH are fitted either of hemp or wire,
served throughout, hooked or shackled to the dolphin-striker,
and set up at the bows with three scored hearts.
•Jil> >Jai:^ingfale-Sta;y' is of wire rope, wormed,
parcelled, and served the same as guys. Pitted with
shackles and thimbles in each end, witn double service
around the thimbles. Shackles to the dolphin striker and
to the band on jib-boom.
84: RKUilNii.
Flyinff-Jili ]VIai*tiiipr«l**-Htay. Fitted the
same as the jib martingale, of wire ; aouble served around
the thimbles m the outer end, in the waJce of the sheave on
the dolphin-striker, and where it reeves through the bees,
or leader. Sets up with dead-eyes.
Foi*e oncl ]\Iain Topmasst Baclcstavm.
Fitted and measured off the same as the after-shrouds of
the fore and main rigging.
I\Iizzeii-Toj>in.iXKt Uaoliwta.^v'^K are fitted with
horseshoe eyes, or, properly speaking, a span. Measured
like the fore and main.
Foi^e, IVIaiii, and iVIixzeii Topprallant
HaclcKta,yK are painted, wormed, parcelled, painted
again, and served throughout. Fitted with spliced eyes,
which are double served, without outside parcelling. Mea-
sured from the funnel to the place of setting up in the
channels, with allowance for the eye and the usual allow-
ance for turning up.
Uoat-I>avit T<>i>ping- T^ilTtH^ Spaax and
Cjtvxa-k, are of wire rope, and served throughout. Spans
to which topping-lift pendants are attached are leathered
in the middfe.
l>ead-K,veK. The dead-eye now used in the Navy
is shown in Fig. 288. Plate 48.
The end of the shroud passes around a heavy iron
thimble, which is confined by a pin to the lugs of the iron
strap of the upper dead-eye.
Dead-eyes are made with one hole without a score on
the inboard face, the edge being left square so as to present
a solid shoulder to the knot of tne laniard.
The shroud being passed around the thimble is secured
by five seizings — throat, quarter, middle, upper and end
seizing.
The two lower turns of the throat seizing are racking
turns, over these come riding turns. The seizing is crossed
and hitched in the upper part.
The quarter, middle ana upper seizings are riding seizings.
The end seizing is flat, crossed ana hitched, and holds
into place the canvas cap placed over the ends of all stand-
ing rigginff.
Lower dead-eyes connect with the chain plates by bolts,
so as to be readily unshipped. The bolts are fitted with
forelocks.
In setting up stays and some other portions of the
standing rigging, scored hearts are used mstead of dead-
eyes. These hearts have iron straps, and the upper ones
are supplied with iron thimbles similar to those around
which a shroud is taken. Fig. 289, Plate 48.
Care must be taken in turning the ends of shrouds or
stays around their thimbles that it is done properly, as, in
the event of a change becoming necessary, it is difficult to
get the old nip out of the wire.
RIGGING. S5
Wire rigging in the Navy as a rule sets up with hemp
laniards, which impart all the ** give " necessary. Rigging
screws. Fig. D, Plate 48, are, however, frequently used.
Topmast rigging of fore and aft vessels may be set ux>
on end.
In many vessels of recent construction the standing rig-
ging is simply shackled to the eyes in bands around the
masthead, and set up inside the rail with rigging screws.
In some ships the lower rigging is shackled into pendants
from the lower mastliead, so that in going into action it can
be entirely removed to give a clear held for the guns.
CHAPTER IX.
^ RIGGING SHIP.
When a ship is taken in hand to be rigged, her lower
masts are standing, temporarily or permanently wedged,
and with girtlines on each side of the mast-heads. The
bowsprit is in place, as are also the lower dead-eyes for
the lower rigging. Hearts on the bowsprit and shackles
on the bows may also be supposed in place before the
riggers begin work.
We will rig the bowsprit first, as the staying of the fore-
mast depends upon it, and would otherwise be delayed.
The Gramiiioi^ing- of the bowsprit in "modern
vessels consists of one or two iron straps as shown in Figs.
293 and 294, setting up with nuts and screws. It serves to
keep the bowsprit m place, and should be set up before the
ship is turned over to the riggers.
Secure the heads of two small spars together in a lash-
ing hung from the bowsprit-end, the heels resting on the
bows, where convenient, and seized to prevent slipping.
Lay boards across from one boom to the other as a plat-
form for the men to stand on.
Tlie Bol>Kta>^s are placed first, shackling to the
cutwater, and with laniards irom hearts in their outboard
ends to similar hearts under the bowsprit. There are two,
or three, bobstays fitted ; if three, they are termed innery
middley and cop Dobstays.
I3o^wspi*it-Slii*on.<ls« Shackle the bowsprit-
shrouds one on each side to eye-bolts, well down on the
bows. The hearts in their outboard ends set up with lani-
ards to similar hearts on either side of the bowsprit near
the cap.
Now set up the bowsprit-shrouds and bobstays. Both
may be set up by using luff upon luff on each end of the
laniard, as in Fig. 301, Plate 51, racking every turn after it
has been hove taut, and finally seizing down the ends.
This is termed "setting up on a bight," and the object is
to keep the hearts from slueing. Or, secure one end of the
laniard and set up on the other, one turn at a time, by means
of stout luffs hooked into a strap on the laniard and into
another strap on the standing part of the bobstay or shroud.
Fig. 302, Plate 51.
T^atiiarclH for wire rigging are of the same size as
Plate 49
Tf T
RIGGING SHIP. 87
the ringing itself; for hemp ringing as used formerly,
laniards were one-half the size of tne corresponding shroud,
stay, &c.
Laniards are four-stranded hemp. It is considered bet-
ter to clap straps on the laniard when setting up than to
turn in catspaws, either with or without toggles thrust in
them, as the strap does less damage to the laniard and does
not nip it out of shape. All straps should be smaller than the
rope around which they are taken, to insure a good hold.
Il.ig-g-iiig"-iii BowKprit. When a vessel is fitted
as a ram, the bowsprit and jib-boom must be so arranged
as to be readily gotten out of the way in clearing ship for
action. For this purpose the bowsprit is either fitted to
rig in, or to be lifted clear of the bows.
Fig. 295 shows the general arrangement of a rigging-in
bowsprit. The spar is rectangular in section, and projects
horizontally ; its rigging is simplified as much as possible.
The bobstay and fore-topmast stays go to the cap or to a
dtrap just inside the cap ; the f orestays set up inside the
rail, and the bees are dispensed with. The bowsprit runs in
on the forecastle, as shown in the figure, being held in
position when rigged out bv a fid forward of the heel bitts,
temporary gammoning ana a boom-iron (fitted with interior
rollers) at the bows. The heel of the jib-boom secures in a
clamp above the bo^^sprit-iron, Fig. 296.
LiOTver IMastn. Proceed now to rig the lower
masts, and send up first the trestle-trees, as follows :
Trestle-trees, The mast-head girtlines should be stout
enough to send up the trestle-trees ; if not, send up heavy
whips on each side, and lash their blocks at the lower
mast-head, over the tenon or just below it. The men
required to work aloft are sent up by the girtlines.
rlace the trestle-trees on deck, forward of the mast, Fig.
307, and take out the after chock, as the forward one, by
having to support the heel of the topmast, is more securely
bolted and not intended to be removed. Hitch the ends of
the whips to the forward ends of the trestle-trees, and stop
down on the top side, along to the after ends. Bend on a
guy from forward, sway aloft, and as the after ends of the
trestle-trees rise above the bibbs, cut the stops and work
them into their places. Send up the after chock and bolt it.
Whole Tops are sent aloft with the two girtlines used in
sending up the trestle-trees, and a good-sized single or
double tackle, hooked to a strap abaft tne mast and directly
between the girtlines, as in Fig. 308.
Place the top on the deck abaft the mast, with the for-
ward part uppermost. Overhaul down the girtlines and
tackle, pass the ends of the former underneath the rim and
make them fast to their own parts, around the after-part of
' the top, stopping them out to each girtline-hole, as in Fig.
308. Hook the lower block of the mast-head tackle to a
88 RIGGING SHIPS.
stout strap around the after-part (to which a j^uy is also
attached, leading aft), and secure the standing parts of the
tackle and girtlines to the pigeon-hole by means of a
squilgee-toggle, over which the bights are laid. The mast
head tackle should be passed underneath the top. Bend on
a tripping-line to the toggle (which should be greased),
man tne tackle and girtlines and sway away, pulling up
steadily on all. When the forward rim comes up to the
block, jerk on the tripping-line (which disconnects the
{)arts and permits the girtlines to go out to the side, and
ead oflf fair) ; sway on the tackle until the lubbers-hole is
clear of the mast-head, and lower away by means of the
girtlines, sending the top aft or forward with the tackle
and guy as need be. The cross-trees are either secured to
the top before sending it aloft, or sent up by means of the
girtlines first.
Haljf Tops. The half tops are placed on deck with the
outer rims uppermost, on their respective sides of the deck.
Pass a strap or lashing around the centre of each, steadying
it in its place by a small lashing through one of the f uttock
holes. Overhaul down the whips used in sending up the
trestle-trees, and bend each to the strap around the haff top
of its respective side. Sway the halves up close to the
blocks, and let them hang there until the cross-trees are
sent aloft and bolted in their places. Then lower the halves
down and secure them ; sway up the upper cross-trees and
bolt and confine the whole with iron bands. Fig. 309.
Now send up and place the bolsters, which are made
of soft wood and covered with three or four thicknesses
of tarred parcelling, and then get over the lower pendants,
which are swayed up by the girtlines. If the mast
needs support while the rigging is being sent aloft, the
pendant tackles may now be hooked ana hauled taut, but
they are dispensed with, if possible, as being very much in
the way.
Lower Irt/ig-^in^. As the routine of rigging is
nearly identical on all the masts, the method for the fore
will answer for a description of the others.
In the merchant service, as soon as the lower pendants
are over, the lower mast is steadied by the pendant tackles,
the topmast is pointed about four or five feet above the
lower mast-head, and to it are attached the girtlines for the
shrouds, after the manner of a derrick. Navy-yard riggers
proceed as follows :
To Send xxp tlie SIii'oikIk. In heavy ships,
two girtlines will be required to support the weight of tne
shroud ; the block of the main girtline being toggled to the
midship girtline-hole in the top; the second, or ** short"
girtline, being at the mast-head tenon and worked in the
top. Send hands aloft with marline-spikes, tar, slush, com-
mander,* &c.
* Commander ; a large wooden maul.
RIGGING SHIP. • 89
Now proceed to get the shrouds up, and over, in the
order of their succession, Fig. 310. jOiof the ends of the main
jPrtline together, and fit a toggle in one part, just above.
Thrust this between the two parts of the first pair of star-
board-forward shrouds, from out, in, somewhat more than
^e length of the mast-head below the eye-seizing, and put
^ stop around both parts to retain the toggle in its place.
Jjjop the girtline along the shroud towards tlie eye, and at
^^e croimiy and sway aloft. When as high as the top, bend
^^ tho short mast-head girtline just below the eye-seizing,
^feing the end from in, out, and stop it as in the other
^e. Cut the lower girtline adrift, as tne shroud comes up,
5^d steady it to the hand of the man aloft, who will bear
|2^ 6ye over the mast-head, and cast off the upper girtline.
5^^e it fair and beat it down with the wooden commander,
a^i^S careful to carry the shroud well aft, as the angular
tx\ V ^ of the strain, in setting up, has a constant tendency
*^ Oring it forward.*
Send up the port forward pair in the same manner. We
mi^ht now rouse the legs of the shrouds well down amid-
ships, i. e., in a line parallel with the mast, to give the eyes
a good fit on the bolsters, and set up all four legs at the
same time, with the pendant tackles, to ensure getting the
eyes well down, in place. But this is seldom done, and we
proceed, as a rule, to get over the other pairs of shrouds in
their proper order witnout stopping to set up. It is well to
remember that too much care cannot be taken to beat the
ejes well down in their places at once, and in this connec-
tion attention mav be called again to the effect of the eves
settling down at the mast-head, and the means suggested in
the previous chapter for avoiding slack after shrouds.
To Send VLy> tlio l-<^<>i-o-mi<l-sTit Sta.vs.
All the shrouds having been got over, shift the girtlines
from the top up to the mast-head, and lash them to the
sides and well aft. Dip them down through the lubber's-
hole, and bend the starboard one to the fore-stays below the
crotch, stopping it to the starboard legs ; bend the port
girtline on in the same manner to the port legs, and sway
aloft, cutting the seizings as the legs reach the top. Fig. 312.
Use a third girtline overhauled down forward of the top,
and bent to the stays below the crotch, to assist in raising
the stays. Pass the collar-lashings (one end of each lashing
is spliced into one of the eyes oi its stay), and either rest
'-'ic collars on the lower rigging or on a lieavy cleat some-
times placed for the purpose on the after side of the mast.
The stays are now seized around the thimbles of their upper
hearts, if this has not been done in the rigging loft ; the
* U wiU save troable aloft if the eve of the shroud i*^ bent forward b<»fore
gfwng up, and stopped to the legs, which lays it fair for goiiija: over. Cast off the
stop from the less when the eye comes through the lubber's- hole, and use the
stop to assist in nauling down the eye when over. Fig. 811.
90 ' RIGGING SHIP.
lower hearts should be found in their places shackled to the
fore-stay straps on the bowsprit, or to eye-bolts on the fore-
castle. These straps are iron bands passing around under
the bowsprit ; one end of the strap has an eye for the heart,
and the other an eye for the forelock which secures it.
Reeve oflE the stav laniards.
On the ^tstnding* oT IMat^tsj, Experiment
proves that by raking masts forward^ in a vessel of ordi-
nary form, we increase the tendency to pitch, besides
increasing the difficultv of trimming the yaras on account
of their confinement when hy the wind. The vessel is given
an increased readiness to wear, but with a corresponding
indisposition for coming to, and an increased need of lee
helm to keep her to the wind. In scudding, this disposition
to fall off increases the danger of being brought by the
lee.
When masts are stayed perpendicular to the keel, the
wind acts in a horizontal direction on the sails, and the ob-
jectionable features of the preceding plan are avoided.
Finally, when masts rake aft, there is an increase in the
after sail of the ship, a disposition to approach rather than
recede from the wind, the tendency to pitch is obviated,
and the difficulties of bracing due to forward staying are
avoided. .
The general custom is to stay the foremast plumb, or
with a rake aft varying from } to 1 inch to the foot, the
mainmast rakiuj^ 1^ inches to the foot, and the mizzen
IJ^ inches to the foot.
Hta^vingr tlie I-^^oi-eniast. The foremast is
stayed by means of a double purchase leading forward to
the bowsprit, and two pendant tackles hooked to the for-
ward legs of the pendants, the after pendant tackles being
set up to eye-bolts well aft. Fig. 313.
With these purchases and the wedges eased up, the mast
can be stayed either plumb or with a slight rake, as required.
The amount of rake, if any, is determined by the constructor,
and a plumb-line is made to plumb the deck at a distance
from the after-part of the mast equal to the amount of the
rake for the length of the plumb-line used. If the line is
hung from the mast-head, seventy feet from the deck, a
rake of half a inch to the foot should cause it to plumb the
deck thirty-five inches from the after-part of the mast, &c.
Lateral staying is effected by measurement with a small
line, secured at the centre of the after-part of the mast-head
and carried to the water-ways on either side in line with
the after-part of the mast. Bucklinj2^ a lower mast and get-
ting it out of a vertical plane are by no means uncommon.
In such a case the ])reparati()ns above described for staying
must be made and tlie wedges knocked out.
Tlie mast being in th(^ right position, belay and rack the
falls, put in the wedgi's for a full due, and put on the mast
Plate 5f
RIGGING SHIP. 91
coat, which is used to keep the wat^r from rotting the mast
at the partners. It is made of heavy canvas and painted,
and covers the heads of the wedges and the mast up to
eighteen inches above the deck.
To set xxp the Lo^wei* Sta^vn^ Fig. 313. At
a distance eight or ten feet up the stay clap on one block of
a "stay luff '"(double purchase), having canvas underneath
to avoid chafe, and hook the other block into a strap on the
stay laniard. Into the fall of the stay luff hook the lower
block of a pendant tackle, and having got the stays taut,
rack the laniards and proceed to set up the shrouds.
To set up tlie Shroixds. The laniards are
fitted in the riggmg-lof t, having a laniard knot (a Mathew
Walker knot snowing two or three parts) cast into one end.
This knot rests against the unscored hole in the upper dead-
eye, which is forward in the starboard shrouds, aft in the
port shrouds, and inside on both sides. Reeve off the lan-
iards through the upper and lower dead-eyes, the hauling
end always coming up from the lower dead-eye.
Place canvas on the shroud about half-way up to avoid
chafe, and tail the upper block of a rigging luff (gun tackle
purchase) over it. Hook the lower block of the luff to a
strap on the end of the laniard, and lead the fall of the luff
up to the pendant tackles as in Fig. 315. The luff tails should
be dogged on long so as not to nip the shroud.
Set up all the snrouds in this manner, a pair on each side
at a time, racking the laniards. The rigging is left standing
in this condition as long as circumstances may permit, to
give it a chance of settling in its place, when, with the same
purchases used before, the stays and then the shrouds are
set up for a full due. The final setting up should not be
given, if avoidable, during very wet or cold weather.
The rigging being set up for a full due, rack the laniards,
seize on the sheer poles with a cross seizing to keep the
dead-eyes from slueing (on account of the tendency to
unlay in the shrouds), naving a strip of tarred canvas or
leather underneath to prevent chafe. Secure the ends of
the laniards by hitching them around the strap of the upper
dead-eye thimble above the sheer pole, as in Fig. 318, bring-
ing the end down inside the other parts and securing it
with three seizings. Remove the racking from the laniard
to bring an equal strain on all parts. Finally, send down
the rigging luffs.
In setting up the stays temporarily, one end of the
laniard is splicea around the upper heart ; take two or three
turns through both hearts, set up and rack the laniard.
When setting up for a full due, reeve off the remaining
turns, set taut, cut the rackings and set up. Rack again
with stout rackings ; come up the tackles and pass riding
turns of the laniard, heaving each turn taut in succession.
Put several good seizings on the upper turns of the laniard,
92 RIGGING SHIP.
the end of the laniard being stopped in between the turns
out of sight. The rackings are removed and only the
seizings remain.
Fi^. 317 shows a proposed form of dead-e^re of metal. It
is similar to the modern dead-eye of the British service.
Remarks on the tension given to rigging. It is of inore
value to have a moderate and equal strain on each shroud,
rather than a great strain upon all the shrouds.
Much of the trouble experienced in former days with
hemp lower rigging, by reason of stretching, is obviated by
our present use of wire rope. But in placing the eyes of
the snrouds over the mast-head, the permanent position of
the eye may be lost sight of in the endeavor to complete
the operation in as short a time as possible. The conse-
quence is that the eyes of the rigging keep shifting their
position on the mast-head for many months afterwards,
producing slack rigging. 5^ was suggested, after getting
up the first pair or shro\?Js, to set up each two jjairs
separately at the time they are placed over, but this is
seldom done. On the other hand, the beating down of the
eye upon the mast-head should be carefully attended to,
to insure a permanent and solid bearing.
With regard to the stays, particularly when the after-
parts of the collars are not rested on supporting chocks, any
settling of the eyes of the rigging causes the stay to settle
also, but the slack shroud is much more likely to receive
attention than the stay. The final result is a Truckling of
the mast at the partners, or else an attempt is made to
overcome the increased rake by setting up the topmast
stay, since the rake will be more apparent at the height of
the topmast-head than at the lower mast-head. The con-
sequence of hauling forward the head of the topmast, with
a comparatively slack lower stay, is to strain the head of
the lower mast, owin.^ to the leverage of the heel of the
topmast and the play in the lower cap. Some officers will
recollect at least one sloop-of-war in which the lower mast-
head was sprung in this way. The conclusion is, that no
setting up even of the two after shrouds should be under-
taken witnout an examination of the lower stay, which will
probably be found to require a pull even more than the
rigging.
A serious evil arises from setting up rigging too taut,
which is particularly noticeable in small vessels.
Let the shrouds of a schooner be pulled up as taut as
harpstrings, then the liability is that when she goes to sea
she will lose her masts ; for when she rolls, the shrouds,
which we will further suppose to be half worn, and witli
little give, keep the mast-head to windward, while the ten-
dency" of the rest of the spar is to buckle to leeward, and
this IS particularly the case when reefed down.
To Hat tie I>o>^"ii. Draw a line parallel to that
p-iE^o? ria^os
RIGGING SHIP. 0:J
of the vessel's sheer across the shroud-legs on both sides
through the points where it is intended to seize on the lower
ratlines, so that the latter may correspond with the line of
the sheer-poles. If these marks are continued up to the
trestle-trees at the proper di&tance (fourteen inches; apart,
the work of rattling down can be carried on in several parts
of the riggiuj^ at once, without referring constantly to the
measuring stick.
Hook or shackle the futtock-shrouds* to the plates in the
top and to the f uttock band, and set them up, observing to
have the points of the hooks inboard, so that bights of rope
from aloft shall not catch over tliem. Girt or swifter the
shrouds in by securing a piece of ratline stuff to the for-
ward shroud, take it aft and around the next shroud and
haul as taut as possible, drawing the two shrouds together.
Repeat the operation with the next shroud, and so on to
the after shroud, girting all in together, nipperine each
turn with a hitch. Place three or four swif tering nnes in
the rigging at equal distances apart. Lash oars or spars
athwart the rigging, about four f e^t apart, for the men to
stand on while at work.
The ratlines, Fig. 319, are usually of eighteen-thread
stuff, fitted with a small spliced eye, thrust once and a half.
This eye is seized on to the first shroud with marline,
Figs. 820-321, or with a rope-yarn, twisted up and rubbed
smooth, placing each ratline fourteen inches from the pre-
ceding one. A clove hitch is then formed outside around
the next leg, put on so that the crossing of the hitch will lie
with the lav of the rope, and the ratline hove taut, with a
marline-spike. In this manner it is made to reach the last
shroud, and then seized on as at the commencement ; every
fifth or sheer ratline being extended to the swifters and
after shrouds, which, with these exceptions, are omitted
when there is any great spread between the swifter and
shroud next abaft, or between the after shroud and the one
next forward of it.
The eye-seizing of the ratline must be passed so that the
eye will lie in a horizontal plane, and witn the strand first
tucked uppermost (if the otner part of the splice were upper-
most it would form a pocket for water). Having splicea in
the marline, pass it around the shroud through the eye of
the ratline, back around the shroud, and so on as in Figs.
'520 and 321, the turns of the seizing crossing in the eye. In
cutting a ratline, say starboard side, the stuff being thorough -
footed and stretched, take one end of the coil and carry it
into the rigging at the height for the ratline. Hitch it to
the after shroud, keeping end enough to reach to the for-
ward one, clove-hitching loosely around each shroud from
aft forward. If you have not end enough, render more
* At sea tliere is generally an \x^\y chafe between the lower and the fattock
•broads, to prevent which go^i'l irou Scotchmen should be seized to the former.
94 RIGGING SHIP.
through the loose hitches. When the forward shroud or
swifter is reached, form the eye in the end of the ratline and
seize it on, then work back toward the after shroud, tauten-
ing the clove-hitches. When the after -shroud is reached,
you can mark the exact place for the after-eye, and cut the
ratline at the proper place without waate. If in the port-
rigging, proceed in the same way, except that the temporary
hitches are put on from forward aft, as riggers generally
work from right to left when seizing on and hitching the
ratline for a full due.
If the eye has been badly measured, and the ratline is
lust too long to be seized on, but not long enough to allow
for turning in a new eye, heave turns in it with the lay of
the stuff until shortened up, or if it is too short, a few turns
may similarly be hove out. This is called an Irish splice.
Now come up the girts employed in swiftering in the
shrouds, which tautens the rigging. After which, square any
shroud ends which may have required turning in afresh,
capping the ends. Send down the spars and blacken down.
In sparring down rigging the forward ends should be
square with each other, the spare ends aft. In rigging. of
nine shrouds one man should clap on four ratlines in an hour.
The lower ratlines as far up as the ends of the shrouds,
are now made of rod iron, to prevent getting out of shape
when the rig^ng is manned previously to laying aloft.
The description of rattling down is ^ven here as in its
natural order under the head of lower rigging ; but instead
of rattling down at this stage of the work, nggers usually
fit a few temporary ratlines for their own use in getting
up and down from aloft, and postpone fitting the regular
ratlines until after all the rigging, masts and yards are in
place.
nropiiia.HtH. We suppose the ship to be in the stream,
to show, while ringing, the methods adopted for getting the
various spars on board.
Tow the topmast alongside with the head forward, and
Sarbuckle it on board. Then secure a large buH's-eye to the
ounds on each side, in the same plane with the lower
sheave hole ; hitch the end of a hawser at the lower mast-
head, above the eyes of the rigging, leading through the
hole in the trestle-trees, and reeve the other end through
one of the bull's-eyes on the topmast and the sheave-hole ;
thence up through the opposite bull's-eye, and a block
lashed at the mast-head, through the lubber's-hole, as in
Fig. 322, Plate 58. leading it to the deck, and clapping on a
pendant-tackle, or take the hawser to the capstan. With
this purchase, sway the mast up and down the lowermast.*
Should the topmast prove too long, the head must be swayed
up outside the top rim ; then open the deck-scuttle, and
lower the mast, until clear of the top rim ; sway it up, and
* Supposing it to be the foremast.
RIGGING SHIP. 95
point it through the trestle-trees and round-hole of lower
cap. The latter is sent up " before all," with the girtlines,
immediately after rieeinff the lowermast, by bending them
on through the round-nole, and stopping them along to the
after-part, Via. 323, observing to keep the bolts upf^rmosf,
so that they do not come in contact with the top rim, &c. ,
in the cap's passage aloft. When in the top, place it right
side up over the square hole in the trestle-trees fair tor
pointing the topmast.
Now i>ass a stout strap through the fid-hole of the topmast,
to which hook both the pendant-tackles ; take off the bull's-
eyes at the hounds and mast-head, unreeve the hawser, and
prepare for shipping the cap, which is done as follows :
To Ship the Lo^wex* Cap, Fig. 324. The
topmast being pointed through the round hole of the cap,
slue the cap as nearly fore and aft as the doublings of the
mast will admit, with the square hole aft. Pass a secure
lashing through the cap eye-bolts and over the topmast-
head, and give the lashing as much drift as possible, for
which purpose the head of the topmast shoula be several
feet above the upper part of the cap. Now sway up on
the pendant tackles until clear of tne tenon of the lower
mast, then slue the cap around, as it hangs in the lash-
ing, until its square hole is fair with the tenon. If the
lashing has not been given drift enough to pennit of slue-
ing the cap fair, the topmast itself must be slued by
means of a lon^ heaver thrust in the fid-hole and worked
by guys from its ends. This ou^ht not to be necessary.
Sena up the capshore (with a laniard attached, to secure
it aloft) and lower away, beating down the cap into place,
and tacking over a piece of sheet-lead as a protection from
the weather.
HTo send up the Topmast Cross-Ti^eew.
Fig. 325, Plate 59. Cast off the lashings and sway the
topmast-head a few feet above the cap. Lash a couple of
stout burton-blocks to the tenon, send the fdlls down abaft
for the cross-trees (placed on deck well abaft the mast).
Secure the lower blocks to the after ends of the trestle-
trees on the upper side, and stop the standing parts along
the forward ends, in the same manner as that resorted to in
sending up the lower trestle-trees ; having a guy from the
mainmast-head (if the fore-topmast cross-trees), to keep them
clear of the top in going aloft. Sway up on the burtons,
bear off, cut the stops as necessary, and land them on the
lower cap, where they should be securely lashed, having the
forward part inclined upward, with the chock resting
against the topmast. Oast off the burtons, remove the
buxsksfrom the tenon or — ^if girtlines are used to get the
cross-trees aloft (as is sometimes done) — ^shift them at once
to the after-horns, ready for the rigging ; lower away on
the pendant-tackles, until the cross-trees come fair over the
00 RIGGING SHIP.
mast-head, cutting them forward, or aft, as may be neces-
sary.
To H/igr TTopmatiBt. Now sway up on the pen-
dant-tackles, and lodge the cross-trees on the nounds oi the
topmast, prying up the after-end, and beating them down
in their places. Hook the top-blocks in the lower cap and
reeve the top-pendants, by passing eachpointed end through
its respective olock, and sheave m the heel of the topmast,
arid clinching it to the eye-bolts, then hook the top-tackles
to straps on the other ends, and remove the fid-strap and
pendant-tackles used in pointing the topmast. Send up and
{)lace the composition funnel (square) over the topmast, its
ower edge resting on the trestle-trees and fitted with
flanges to receive the bolsters, which are well protected
with tarred parcelling. The gin-bar, if not sent up with
the cross-trees must now be placed. It consists of a stout
flat bar of iron placed across the top-mast and trestle-trees
between the doublings of the mast, with links for the g^n-
blocks.
Send up next the burton pendants which shackle to bolts
in the under side of the trestle-trees. Using girtlines from
each after-horn of the cross-trees, and an eye girtline from
the topmast tenon, proceed to get up the shrouds and stays
in the following order, after the manner employed m
getting up lower rigging, except that ttvo pair, starboard
and port snrouds, come up together.
First. Starboard and port shrouds, in pairs.
Second. Backstays.
Third. Fore-and-aft-stays and jib-stay, in one, the latter
uppermost.
The ends of these shrouds and stays are allowed to hang
down outside the top in their proper directions, on each side,
forward, or aft as the case may be.
To Send xip tlie Topmasst Cap, Fig. 326.
Shift the girtlines from the cross-trees to the topmast-head,
lashing the blocks below the tenon ; send down the ends for
the topmast-cap, which is sent up from forward with the
after-part uppermost, the ends oi the girtlines hitched to
the forward eye-bolts, and stopped down toward the after-
part of the cap, similar to the mode of sending up lower
trestle-trees. It is slipped into place on the tenon of the
topmast-head by the men aloft, cutting the stops, as neces-
saiy.
The topmast cap may be shipped, with the assistance of
the topgallant-mast, in a similar way to that followed in
placing the lower cap, but the method given is much the
easiest.
If the topmast is fidded, and topgallant-mast is not aloft,
riggers frequently handle the topmast-cap as follows, par-
ticularly in stripping ship. A suitable small spar (studdmg-
sail yard) is pointedthrough the round hole of the cap and
»c
RIGGING SHIP. 97
the cap is securely lashed to the spar. The spar is con-
trolled by two whips whose blocks are lashed to the mast-
head below the cap. The whip ends secure to the spar^ one
near its heel and tne other a little below the cap and not in
the same vertical plane as the first whip. By means of
these whips the spar (and cap) can be lifted and slued as
required.
Keeve the topmast-stays through the bees in the bow-
sprity turn them around the thimbles of their hearts and clap
luffs on them to steady the mast when Adding ; reeve on
aAoo the laniards of the backstays, and tend the stays and
backstays while the mast is being swayed aloft by the top-
tackles and fidded. The topmast being fidded, reeve off the
laniards of the topmast rigging andprepare to set up.
To Set ixp Topmast ^Ri^g-ing*. Hook the
lower blocks of a rigging luff to a strap on the laniard ;
tail the upper block to the shroud six or eight feet above the
upper deaa-eye, hook the top burton into the end of the luff.
Having riven the mast the proper stay, by means of the
luffs on the topmast stays and backstairs, set up the shrouds
in a manner similar to that adopted in the case of lower
^SS^^?* Stays, backstays, and snrouds should all be first
set up temporarily, and later for a full due, in the order
named.
For light rigging^ a runner may be used instead of a
riggine luff, in setting up. Fig. 316, the top-burton being
hooked in the thimble of the runner. Avoid the use of
catspaws in the laniards, unless the ends are long enough to
admit of cutting off afterwards. The rigging being set up,
lash on the sheer poles, secure the ends of the laniards ana
come up the rackings on them. Lash on the f uttock staffs
below the eyes of the topmast rigging and inside of the
shrouds. These are of rod iron, well served and leathered
in order not to chafe the topgallant rigging which passes
over them in its course to the top. Seize the forward cat-
harpin leg^ on each side to the forward shroud and the
after-ones abaft the mast to the after-shroud on the oppo-
site side. The two cat-harpins thus cross abaft the mast
and are seized together in the cross. General view of eyes
of topmast rigging, Fig. 331.
When ready to rattle down, girt in, and proceed precisely
as in rattling down lower rigging, but without omitting
ratlines at any shroud.
Sometimes, after the lower and topmasts are rigged, a
tarpaulin coat, fitting snugly, is placed over the eyes of the
rigging, as a protection from weather. This answers very
well, and if painted, does not detract from the neat appear-
ance of the mast-head.
«Til>-!Booni. Being in the stream, bring the boom
alongside with the head forward, and reeve a spare
piece of rope (studding-sail halliards if at hand), through
the shoave-holes in each end, a sufficient number of
times, and make it fast. Overhaul down the main pen-
^8 RIGGING SHIP.
dant-tackle, and hook it into a cuckold's neck formed in
the bight of the span, having the boom to hang slightly
heel heavy. Sway it up, bearing it clear of the ship's side
— ease it inboard, and land it in the gang[way^ ; unreeve the
span, and carry the boom forward, pointing" it through the
bowsprit-cap, and reeve the heel-rope, whicn is done as fol-
lows : Pass one end through a single block, hooked to an
eye-bolt on one side of the bowsprit-cap ; thence through
tne sheave in the heel, and clinch it to the other bolt, on tne
opposite side of the cap. Man the heel-rope, and rig the
boom out, until the shoulders are just forward of the dow-
sprit end. * Put on the band if not already on. This band is
fitted with eyes on each side and underneath for the jib-
guys and martingale.
The foot-ropes are fitted with eyes in their outer ends
which seize to the jib-guys close to the shackle on the
band. The foot-ropes are then stopped out to the guys, that
on the starboard side for a suflScient distance to keep it clear
of the fiying iib-boom. Turks-heads are worked on the foot-
ropes at equal distances, to keep the men from slipping on
account ot the inclination, or steeve, of the boom. The inner
ends of the foot-ropes are formed into eyes which are seized
to the upper bolts in the bowsprit cap after the jib-boom
has been rigged out. Thus fitted, the foot-ropes should be
long enough to allow the men who go on the boom to stand
with the lower parts of their breasts against it. Reeve the
jibstay through the inner sheave-hole of the boom end.
Dway the dolpnin-striker to its place by means of a tackle
from the bowsprit cap and a whip from the jib-boom end
and hook it to its eye-bolt ; shackle to it the lower end of
the jib-martingale and the back-ropes. Fig. 333 shows jib-
boom end, ana Plate 52, general view of head-booms with
detail of whisker and dolphin striker. Place the jib-guvs
over the whisker ends (see Whiskers) ship the wythe for tne
flying jib-boom : man the heel-rope and rig out, placing the
heel m the saddle and clamping it. Unreeve the heel-rope,
set up the jib-guys, when ready, and the jib-martingale, the
latter being set up by pulling on the back-ropes. Lastly,
set up the ]ib-stay.
The jib-netting is made of ratline stuflf, with 6-inch
meshes, and laces to the guys and whiskers.
A^liifslters are swayed on board with a tackle from
the forward swifter. A whisker is got into place ready for
rigging by means of a jigger from the fore-topmast stay,
hookea to a strap about one-third the length of the whisker
from its outer end, and another jigger from the bowsprit
cap to its inner end. When far enough out the whisker is
hooked to a bolt in the bees. When hooked, put on the jib
guy, which is fitted with a neat eye to go over the whisker
* In handling; a large boom, it will be necessary to have a tackle from tUe
fore-stay hooked to a strap on the head of the boom, to raise and guide it through
the cap.
RIGGING SHIP. 99
end, and then the whisker jumper. This jumper goes over
the whisker with an eye, and sets up to the cutwater, or it
may lead through a clump block on the cutwater to the
ship's head where it is set up.
When the flying-jib-boom has been placed and ri^c^ed,
the flying-jib-guys are rove through a hole in the whisKer,
or through a thimble strapped (with wire rope) to the
whisker, outside of all, thimble on top. Jib and flying-
i'ib guys set up to the bows, or cathead, with three scor^
tearts.
The whisker being rigged, slack the stay jiggers, which
serve as lifts, and haul on the jib-guys to brmg the whiskers
athwartship. For detail of rigging^ on whisker, see Plate 52^
Fig. 305, wnere standing part of forward guy is omitted to
avoid confusion.
nPopg-a^llant i^fa^sttsi. Get the topgallant-mast on
board by means of the mast rope. Hook the topgallant top-
block to a bolt in the topmast cap, and reeve the mast rope
first through the block,* then through the thimble of a stout
lizard, the tail of which is hitched m the royal sheave-hole ;
lastly, through the sheave in the heel, and cast an over-
hand knot in the end, or hitch it around the mast to its own
Sart. When the topgallant mast is on board, and up and
own forward of the lower mast, secure it there temporarily
by a lashing around the head from the lower stay collar,
passed clear of the mast rope ; cast off the hitch in the end
of the mast rope and carry the standing part aloft, hitching
it to a bolt in the topmast cap, on the side opposite to where
the block is hooked. Fig. 327. Set taut the mast rope,
cast off the stop at the stay collar and sway the mast aloft,
bending a tripping-line to a bolt in the heel to guy the mast
clear on its passage up. Point the head of the royal-mast
and sway it up three or four feet above the topmast cap,
taking off the lizard, which is now of no further use.
When the topsail yard is in its place, the gate, a broad iron
band across tne forward part of the trestle-trees, hinged on
one side, should be opened while the mast is being swayed
aloft to enable it to pass up. The gate is closed as soon as
the heel has cleared the topsail yard, and the swinging end
secured with a pin.
nTopg-aillant IRig-gliig-, &:e. Lash a stout girt-
line block to the topmast cap on each side, and send down
the ends of the whips abaft all for the jack and funnel,
fitted in one, Fig. 328. The rim of the funnel is rounded off
to prevent chafe. A grommet fitted on the funnel acts as
a bolster for the rigging. Land the funnel on the topmast
cap, lash it temporarily, lower on the mast rope till the
royal mast-head is about fiush with the cap ; cast off the
girtline and place the funnel. Sway up again on the mast
rope and point the royal mast-head Veil clear of the funnel.
Then witn the girtline from the cap, sway aloft and get
over the stays and rigging in the following order :
100 RIGGING SHIP.
First, Fore-topgallant stay.
Second, Flying-jib stay.
Third, Shrouds.
Fourth, Back stays.
The eyes of this rigging are made to fit the funnel
exactly. Fig. 330.
A clump-block seized between the topgallant shrouds, be-
low the eye, is for the topgallant lift. Tass the ends of the
topgallant shrouds 'over the f uttock staffs, and thence into
the top, where thev are to be set up with hearts. Do not
clamp these shrouds into the horns of the cross-trees until
swaved aloft, as it gives just so much more gear to over-
haul. The mast can be steadied sufficiently, until fidded,
by the fore and aft stay and back stays. Take the back
stays to the channels, and reeve the fore and aft stay
through its sheave in the jib-boom.
R^oyal liC/ig-gliig'. Send up by means of the girt-
line at the topmast cap the royal band, with the rigging
fitted upon it as described In the previous chapter. Place
the band on the mast-head, Fig. 329, reeve the royal
shrouds through the arms of the jack to the top, take the
b^ck stays to tne Channels and the fore and aft stay through
its sheave in the flying-jib-boom, when the latter is reaay
for rigging out.
A small clump-block for the royal lift is seized in be-
tween the shroud and back stay, below the band.
Place the truck, with signal halliards rove and spindle
and lightning conductor (copper wire) attached, man the
mast rope and swav up the mast, overhauling well the
royal shrouds, &c. When the mast is fidded and the fiying-
jib-boom is rigged out and clamped (see below), set up the
stays, back stays and shrouds with liggers, not forgetting
to clamp the topgallant shrouds in tne noms of the cross-
trees before setting up.
The Fove-Topg-allaiit Sta.v reeves through
the outer sheave in the jib-boom, the fore-royal through tne
hole in the fiying-jib-boom, outside the sheave for the flying-
jib stay.
The jril:> and F'lyino'-Jib Staj^ reeve through
the inner sheaves or holes in their respective booms.
The IVIain Topg^allant wta>^ reeves through
a hole in the after-part of the fore-cap, setting up in tne
fore-top. During continued exercises in sending up and
down topgallant-masts this stay is frequently led down to
the deck, abaft the fore-mast.
The jMaln It^o^yal Stay reeves now through the
after chock of the fore-topmast cross-trees, so that if the fore-
topgallant-mast goes the main royal-mast is not in danger.
In sending up topgallant-masts the main can be stayed with-
out waiting for the fore. Sets up in the fore-top.
The 3f;izzeii Topg-allant Stay reeves over
RIGGING SHIP. 101
a small roller in the after-part of the main-cap. Sets up
in the main-top.
The IMCizzen lEtoysLl Stay leads through a
sheave in the after chock of the main-topmast trestle-trees,
and down into the main-top.
All these stays set up with hearts and laniards.
Fly ing— J il3-l>oom. Figs. 304 and 332. Sway it on
board with a span, as directed for the jib-boom, and rest it
on the head-ran ready for going out. Hang the heel by a slip
Tope from the fore-topmast staj^s, reeve off the heel rope
through a block secured to the jib-guy, through the sheave
in the heel of the boom, securing the end to the. neck of the
wythe. Pull out on the heel rope and point the end of the
flying-jib-boom through the wythe, with the shoulders clear
of the jib-boom end. rut on tne head of the flving-jib-boom,
the band fof iron) fitted with eyes for the flying-jib guys
on each siae, and one eye underneath for the flying martin-
gale. Reeve the end of the flying martingale through a
sheave in the end of the dolphin striker, and the guys
through the holes (or thimbles) at the whisker-boom ends.
Reeve also the flymg-jib and fore-royal stays in their re-
spective sheaves, ana under the cleats on the dolphin
striker. Seize the foot ropes to the shackles for the flying-
jib guys, stopping them out a short distance to the guys,
and seize the inner ends (when the boom is rigged out) to
the jib g^ys. Rig out, taking off the slip rope from the
fore-topmast stays, clamp the neel to the side of the cap,
unreeve the heel rope. Set up the flying-jib martingale,
then the fore and aft stays, lastly the royal back staj'^s,
shrouds, and flying-jib guys.
Observe that in staying all masts the stay is usually set up
first and then the bacK-stays, if any, and lastly, the shrouds.
TopKail "i^ai'ds?. Having towed the yard off to
the ship, say on the port side with the starboard yard-arm
forward, lash a large single block at the topmast-head,
into a strap sufficiently long to permit it to hang clear
of the trestle-trees. Through this reeve a hawser down
(outside of all;, and bend it on to the slings of the yard,
either stopping it to the forward (in this case starboard)
quarter, with stout lashings, or use a lizard, and secure
tne ship's side from chafe by fenders and skids. Hook the
port pendant tackle also to a strap on the after-quarter, and
man it and the hawser (taken to the capstan), swaying the
yard on board, which must be kept from canting aft against
the mast by means of a purchase or guy leading from for-
ward. Ease the lizard (or stops) as necessary, sway on the
pendant tackle until clear of the ship's side, and lower
away, landing the yard as you had it alongside (viz., with
the starboard yard-arm forward), in the port gangway, on
chocks, which should also be placed underneath the inner
quarters, to keep the yard from becoming bowed in the
102 RIGGING SHIP.
slings through its own weight. Now cast off the hawser
and tackle and prepare for rigging.
It is customary to place the fore-topsail-yard in the port
gangway for rigging, and the main-topsail-yard in the
starboard.
For detail of slings see Fi^ 336, of yard-arm, 339.
T>oixl3le Topsail iTarcls. In the merchant
service the single- topsail is rarely met with. There are sev-
eral patents of the double topsail rig. The original inventor
was an American shipmaster named Howe.
There are two topsails and two topsail yards. The lower
topsail yard- is trussed to the lower cap, being supported by
a crane underneath, the heel of the stay of which works in
a socket on the forward side of the mast. Slings are not
used. The outer yard arms have short jackstays fitted on
the upper side to which the clews of the upper topsail are
shackled instead of being hauled out by sheets.
The upper topsail yard is fitted and hoisted in the same
manner as the ordinary topsail yard. There are several
patents for rolling the upper topsail up as the yard comes
down either around the yard or around a rolling spar on the
forward side of the yard. The lower topsail is fitted with
sheets and clewlines, the clewline blocks being placed well
out on the yard on account of the short leech. In large
ships double topgallant sails are sometimes carried.
<r^ij.ar*tei? I31oel£H are iron-strapped, with friction-
rollers, shackled to bands on the quarters of the yard, un-
derneath. In case of accident compelling the use of a rope
strap, it should be single with lashing eyes. There should
be separate bands ana blocks for the clewlines, as shown
in Fig. 336. If not, the quarter block is either double for
the topgallant sheet and topsail clewline, or treble, if the
topsail reef tackle leads under the yard.
Bixrton Strap^ii. Iron bands a few feet inside of
the yard-arms, with an eye in the upper part to which the
top Durton may be hooked.
Bolt ioi- rXeacl-KMi-iiify-, Fig. 372, Plate 72. A
bolt on the forward side of the yard, just inside the shoulder
and well up on the yard ; or it may be an eye in the shoulder
band.
Bacliei' Tor Ileacl-Kai-inor, Fig. 372, Plate 72,
is a broad piece of sennit nailed around the yard, inside ana
clear of the topgallant sheet, and fitted with a thimble in
its hanging end. The head of the topsail is hauled out bv the
turns of the liead-earing taken through the bolt and held up
on the yard by the turns taken through the backer, as will
be described more fully under Bending Sails. For backer,
see Fig. 372.
Jaclc Sta.yjsi for bending are of rod iron, those for
reefing, on the topsail yard, may be of wire rope, rove
through staples abaft tlie bending jack-stay on the upper
RIGGIKG SHIP.
103
part of the yard, outer ends going over the yard-arm with
eyes, the inner ends set up to each other in the slings by
means of smaJl eye-lashings. A i'od iron jack-stay often
replaces it. Fig. 372.
Foot !Ror>e!S. These are of hemp, fitted with an
eye going over tne yard-arm. They are worme^^l and the
splice served. The neck of the splice lies a little abaft the
top of the yard, so as to be clear of the topgallant sheets.
Foot-ropes are fitted rove through the stirrups, and the ends
taken aoaft the mast {when the yard is crossed), and secured
to the opposite quarters on topy by means of an eye-lashing
passed over the yard, round on the forward side, under-
neath, up, and back throujB^h the eye again, a sufiicient
number of times ; after which two half hitches are taken
around all parts to secure the end. This plan of fitting
them is recommended, on account of the facility with which
the men can j^et on and off the yard.
Instead of the eye the outer ends of foot-ropes may be
fitted with hooks connecting to an eye-bolt on the after-side
of the shoulder-band, or else as described under Flemish
HoBSBS. Inner ends of foot-ropes omitted in Fig. 336 to
avoid confusion.
Stirnnxps are fitted with an eye in the lower end ^no
thimble), through which the foot-rope reeves and to which
it is seized. The upper ends, fitted with small eyes, are
seized to the jack-stay staples.
Flemisli Ho]:*ses. These are spliced around a
thimble on the pacific iron for that purpose, and the eye in
the other end secured on top of the vard to the iack-stay,
the length of the yardarm inside of the sheave hole, with a
rose-seizing. These are foot-ropes for the, yard-arm men
when reefing, &c. It would be better, as is already done
on some modem ships, to do awav with the flemish horses
by carrying out the foot-rope to the pacific iron, fitting the
necessary extra stirrups. *
Tye Blooks are iron-strapped and connected by a
bolt to a band around the slings of the yard ; or, in case of
two tyes, the tye-blocks shackle to bands fitted at the
slings, at a distance apart equal to the diameter of the*
topmast. The bands are joined by a span, which is used
for the purchase to hook in when sending the yard up
and down. In case of an accident to the straps of tye-
blocks, requiring them to be fitted with rope-straps, it is
well to remember that two single straps are needed to
make the block stand fair on the yard.
I^o,in*oI. A parrel fitted of wire rope is commonly
used. This consists of a long ana a short leg, leathered
• The flemish horso was introduced when lifts and brace-bh)ck straps went
over the ytfrd-arm with eyes, and it enabled these to be removed or jnit ov-
without coming up anything but the inl)<)ard lushing: of the flemish horse.
Now that all this gear is differently fitted, a separate outboard foot- rope ie
superfluous, and is going out of use.
104 RIGGING SHIP.
singly, marled together, and again leathered in the wake cf
the mast, Fig. 33G. Eyes are spliced into the ends of the
two legs, and stout quarter seizings placed on both close to
the eyes of the short leg. The long leg then passes around
the quarter of the yard, half the diameter of the topmast
from the centre, and secures to the short one by a rose-
seizing on the upper after side. When the yard is crossed
the remaining leg is passed on the opposite side and secured
in the same manner. There are additional seizings through
holes in the jaws to keep the parrel in place. In time
these parrels will probably be replaced by an iron cylinder,
sliding up and down the topmast, to which the topsail yard
is secured by a truss similar to the one on the lower yard.
This cylinder, or tub, keeps the yard well trussed to, and
its lower edge is low enough to keep the yard off the cap.
Urace lJlocls:&^. Iron-strapped, with friction-
rollers^ and shackle to the after-bolts m the shoulder-band,
block sheave standing up and down. In case of accident
to the strap or bolt, use a grommet strap arouud the yard,
single strap around the block, the two straps connected
by lock thimbles.
Litit.^ are four-stranded, hemp, and blacked. Hook to
the shoulder-band, reeve through lower sheave of a sister
block seized in between the swifter and next shroud in the
topmast rigging, just below the eyes, thence to the top,
where they turn up through clump blocks. Set up with
jiggers.
•Jewel I31oekH. Single, rope or iron - strapped,
hook to the pacific iron with sister hoolcs. Not put in place
until the studding sail gear is rove off.
Tvesis. Flexible wire rope. The lower end has a
thimble spliced in, to which hooks the fly-block. Passing
through the mast-head gin-blocks, they reeve through the
tye-block on the yard from out, in, thence up through the
topmast trestle-trees, and made fast around tne mast-head.
The heel of the topgallant-mast is scored out on purpose to
admit the tye.
Small ships have a single tye only, which in this case
reeves through a sheave in the topmast, instead of a gin-
block. Bell's purchase (see Topsail Halliards) is used in
connection with such tyes.
The length of the tyes should be such that the fly-blocks
will be square with the lower cap when the yard is down.
See that the yard is fitted with boom irons, reefing cleats,
saddles (inboard from sheave holes) for topgallant sheets,
&c., and prepare for sending it aloft.*
Hook a stout double purcnase from the topmast-head to
the tye-band (or a strap) in the slings of the yard, Fig. 335.
* It may be noted here that tlie iron work, bands*, &c., described in connection
with the jard fittings are all in place, as a rule, before the yard is sent on board,
and are enumerated only to com[)lete the list of the fittings. In former times
nearly all of the above described fittings were of rope.
9
Plate 59
RIGGING SHIP. 105
Coil the lifts on the quarters of the yard (stopping them to
the jack-stays), and reeve marrying-lines for the braces,
observing to dip the starboard (or upper) one over the
lower stav. Overhaul the top-burtons from aloft, and hook
them to the yard-arms ; as also a fore-and-aft tackle to the
slings to keep the yard from chafing against the mast, as it
goes up.
Man the purchase and walk away, taking through the
slack of the starboard-burton, keeping control of the port
^or lower) yard-arm, and placing a mat under it to prevent
injury to "the deck. As soon as the upper yard-arm is
well up and clear of the lower stay, commence crossing by
^keeping to the slack of the fore-and-aft tackle, hauling on
the lower burton and starboard brace. Reeve the lifts
through the sister-blocks, and as the yard rises above the
lower cap, square it : bring to and pass the parrel. Reeve
the tyes, hook the fly-block with the halliards rove, and
take the strain from the burtons and purchase, which may
now be unhooked, and the latter sent down, together with
the fore-and-aft tackle. Observe, lastly, to place a block of
wood between the slings and lower cap, to keep the yard
from bowing, in case the halliards should be slacked or let
go ; or, as sometimes practised in large ships, have a mid-
ship-lift fitted, of such a length as not to permit the yard to
touch the cap.
N.B. — This routine supposes the yard to be lying in the
port gangway, with the starboard yard-arm forward,
Lio^vei* "Vai'clss. Of the many methods suggested
for getting a lower yard on board, the following may be
selected as the safest and most seamanlike :
The yard is towed alongside, on the starboai^d side, with
the port end forward. Top up the fish-boom. Fig. 3o7, by
its topping lift T, the upper block being hooked at the fut-
tock band. Swing the boom around to the starboard side
with the usual forward and after guys. (For description of
fish-davit, see Ground Tackle.) Should there be no sheave
in the boom, as at A, lash a block at tliat point. Lash
together two large single blocks, as at B and C. Reeve a
Eendant through A and B, securing the outboard end to the
ead of the boom, and take a turn with the other end of the
pendant at the sheet bitts.
Through the block C reeve a hawser, make fast to the
bight above C the lower block of a treble purchase from the
topmast-head. The other end of the hawser is secured at
the slings of the yard, and stopped along the port yard-arm
to the pacific iron, with rope stops.
Protect the hammock rail where the yard is to be landed
by blocking up in the netting above the level of the rail.
When ready, tow the after (starboard) yard-arm out
from the ship, keep it end on to tne vessel with a guy from
forward. Walk away with the treble purchase, and as the
ion RIGGING SHIP.
yard comes over the rail, cast off the stops in succession ;
the pendant easinj^ the yard in to the mast. Use, in addi-
tion, a fore-and-aft tackle, and thwartship jiggers to assist
in placing the yard across the nettings.*
Sliii«r-l>aii<lK, These are two stout iron bands Roing
around the yard, each side of and near the centre, and con-
nected by an iron span, to which the slings are attached by
means of the slip-hook, or " pelican " hook. Plate 39.
There may be two additional bands, one on each side, for
preventer slings, or for the jeer-blocks, if the latter shackle
to the yard instead of lashing.
Tlio Oixaiii-Hlingrts are sent aloft by one of the
top-burtons, and fit over the lower cap in a saddle for the
purpose, or they may be fitted with two shackles that secure
to the eyes of a crescent, bolted over the cap. A back-
lashing abaft the mast, about one-third the doublings from
the mast-head, keeps the strain on the slings in a vertical
direction. Plate 39.
Ti'iiss«-l>aiicl?<« Iron bands, outside the sling-bands,
to which the arms of the truss are secured. See also
Fig. 338.
15s:iel£<>i* and Staple loi* Heacl-earingr.
There is usually an eye in the shoulder-band for the head-
earing. In its absence, a grommet strap of small rope is
put on the yard-arm first, with a thimble seized in on top.
Backer of rope plaited, fitted similar to the one on topsail
yard.
T^it"tK are of wire. In large ships they are rove as
luffs, with the double block at the cap, and single block
hooking to the shoulder-band. The standing part hooks to
the breech of the vard-arm block, or to a bolt on the shoul-
der-band. In smaller vessels the lift is a gun-tackle pur-
chase, the standing part hooking to the breech of the upper
block. Lower lift blocks at the cap are of iron, the fore
usually has additional sheaves (the after ones) for the lower
boom topping-lift.
The end of the lift on deck is turned up around a thimble,
into which a double (or lighter) purchase is hooked.
I3i'aeo'-l:>locli>s. Iron strapped, with friction-rollers,
hook to shoulder-band, sheave up arid down.
<^xiai'tei"-131ocltw for the topsail-sheets, are iron-
strapped and shackle to the band, underneath the yard,
* For the mnin yard tlie fish-booiu is taken aft and the heel secured in one
of the jeer bolts forwarl of the mast. In the case from which this description is
taken, the main-yard of the "Colorado" was the spar handled. There were
no precautions necessary, except as alcove stated in protecting the netting. The
ship was in port, at Hong Kong, the waistljoats remained hoisted, and the gang-
way ladder shipped. The spar, 110 feet long and weighing nearly 10 tons, waa
landed on board inside of 20 minutes. Treble purchase 6-inch fall.j hawser
10 inch, pendant 4i-inch hemp, stops on the yard and hawser 2 J -inch manilla.
In the absence of tlie fish-boom, use any suitable spar as an outrigger.
RIGGING SHIP. 107
Plate 39. In case of accident to the strap or bolt, seize
the 5[uarter-block into a doubled grommet-strap with a round
seizing, the bights being secured to the yard on top by a
rose-seizing.
Clevr-Ci-ax'net-moeliH, Plate 39, are iron-
strapped with friction-rollers, and hook to a band around the
yard, being forward and inside of the quarter-blocks. They
should be ntted with a link or swivel. In case of accident
requiring them to be rope-strapped, use single strap with
lasning eyes, the latter seized together on top of the yard.
Ciiiarter*-Ii*<>nis, Fig. 347 6, for the topmast-stud-
ding-sail-booms, are screwed to iron bands on the yard about
two-thirds out, and are fitted to clamp and unclamp around
the boom.
]3o<>iia IroriH for the same spars are keyed to the
ends of the pacific-irons, and fitted with a roller in the
lower part. Fig. 334, also Fig. 347.
Kixi'ton. Sti*fipH. iron bands with eyes at top,
fitted to the yard inside the sheave for topsail sheets.
•J^icliHtays^ both for bending and reefing, are of
iron, the former with staples, the latter passing through
eye-bolts on the yard above the bending jack-stay.
K'oot Xl.opefe«. Fitted similar to those on the top-
sail yard ; the outer end hooks to the shoulder-band. Fig.
334. The foot-ropes cross forward of the mast, each inner
end secured to the opposite arm of the truss and seized to
the arm on its own side. The two foot-ropes are seized
together where they cross.
The necessary cleats, &c., having been attached to the
yard, it is sent aloft by ^the jeers ; should these not be
available, use two pendant-tackles. In either case, hook
both top-burtons to tne burton-straps on the yard, and reeve
and man the braces and lifts — the latter rove single until
the yard is aloft. Keep the yard clear of the mast by a
fore-and-aft tackle.
The jeers are two double (better treble) purchases, the
upper blocks in small vessels being secured permanently to
the chain slings aloft. (See Jeeb Blocks).
The lower blocks lash around the yard on either side
of the slings ; the upper blocks hang by long lashings or
chain slings from the lower cap, over the forward part of
the top rim.
Swaj aloft, keeping control of the fore-and-aft tackle ;
when high enough key the truss, hook the slinks, square
the yard by the lifts and braces, unhook the jeers, bur-
tons, &c.
The cross-jack yard differs somewhat in its fittings from
the fore and main, as no sail is set upon it. The braces
hook to a band well inside the shoulders, so that the brace
(which leads forward) may clear the main topmast back-
stays.
108 RIGGING SHIP.
The cross-jack yard is got on board by a purchase from
the topmast head, and swayed aloft by the same purchase
and the burtons.
The lower yard is sometimes taken first in order, in
rigging ship, but by sending the topsail-yards up first, time
may be saved.
T'opg-allant-A^iiiulK. The yard being alongside,
sway it on board with the yard-rope, rove tnrough the
sheave-hole in the topgallant-masthead, hooking it to the
slings, and stopping it down to the forward yard-arm.
The fittings are as follows, Figs. 3J:0 and 341 :
Hliii«fw« An iron band around the center of the yard,
with a link for the hooks on the yard-rope.
l*iii*i*el. A grommet on each side of the slings fits
around the yard and the jaws, a score being cut in the lat-
ter. Both grommets are leathered, and are seized to form
eyes abaft, abreast the opening of the jaws. A third grom-
met strap, also leathered, is seized to one of the eyes, and,
when the yard is crossed, passes around the mast, and
lashes to the other eye. In port, exercising, a single lash-
ing is substituted for the third grommet-strap. Instead
of the first two grommets there might be eyes m the jaws,
but these foul in sending the yard up and" down, and are
liable to get knocked out.
If the the topgallant-yard is not provided with jaws the
parrel is formed as above, or with a long and short grom-
met. The larger strap is long enough to go around the
yard and meet the short one, being secured by a lashing of
small stuff. Both straps leathered.
C.^imi'tei' IJloeliK. These are double, iron-
strapped, friction-rollers, and hook to a band on the yard.
Hti-sip !<>!• tlie J_^iziii'cl« A grommet strap
slipped over the yard with a thimble seized in the bight,
on top of the yard, the strap itself being a few feet from
the slings, and called a quart erst rap. To prevent slipping
this quarter-strap should be seized to the jackstay.
liiiekei^ liiKl CJi'iiig-li* !<>!• Ilesicl-oni'iiijr.
Backer same as on top-sail yard. Instead of a head-earing
staple, there is a small cringle worked into the eye of the
foot-rope, clear of the royal sheet. Figs. 341. b,
r^oot-JL^opes^, Fig. 341. Fitted with eyes to go
over the yard-arms. At sea the inner ends generally cross
abaft the mast (preventer parrel) and in port they cross for-
ward of the mast. These inner ends are variously secured.
They may be fitted with an eye, lashing to the yard with a
flat-seizing, eye abaft and on top of the yarcl. Or, for
convenience in shifting, these ends of the foot-ropes may
be fitted, as in Fig. 340, with sister hooks to connect with
the thimble of a strap on the quarters of the yard. Or,
finally, if the neck of the eye-bole for the quarter-block is
long enough, the ends may hook there;.
Plate 61
iniK.33S
■II^^^H
q
r'"^-r>r"-_^::y^^"::r^ 7
^
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— ■
;_-.---r-^-^r'_-*L i^.
^^^^^^^^W
Fiir.330
E
—
T
•
— -
— -
L
-'^
m^
r
»-i-^
— ^_
.\'
RIGGING SHIP. 109
Hending- .Tsvclc Sttx;^'^ of iron. There is no reef-
ing jack-stay.
I^ift, Fig. 341 a. Single, with a round eye, the splice
of which is served. The eye goes over the yard-arm when
swayed up for crossing. The lift is cut long enough to
reach the top after reeving through the bull's-eye or cmmp-
block between the topgallant shrouds. It is marled to the
eye of the brace, so that both lift and brace go on and off
together, the double eye being leathered.
The lift and brace may have their ends secured to eyes
projecting from an iron ring which is leathered and goes
over the yard-arm.
Ui'aces!. Fitted with an e}^e in the end, marled to
the lift, or hooked into the iron ring above described. It
may be single or a whip and pendant.
Mll<>l•tel•^*, Fig. 341 a, are in length a little less than
half the yard, the outer end spliced into the thimble of an
eye-bolt at the yard-arm ; the inner end has an eye for the
tripping-line, and is secured by a stop to the slings when
not in use.
I^o d*os8K n Toi><inllsxn1 ^"fii-cl. Fig. 342.
The yard rope, having a lizard attached (overhauled down
forward, and outside of all), is rove through a ffood-sized
grommet passed over the upper yard-arm and nooked to
the link in the sling-band, the lizard being rove through the
upper quarter-strap thimble, and hitched to the one on the
opposite quarter. Take the eye of the lower lift and brace
in the topmast rigging, and that of the upper one to the
opposite side of the topmast cap, and sway aloft. When
the upper yard-arm rises within reach of the man on the
topmast cap, take off the grommet ^ slip on the lifts and
braces over the snorters, gathering up the slack of the
lower one, and sway away until the slings of the yard
are well above the topmast cap, take through the slack of
the lower lift, then talce a turn of the parrel-lashing abaft
the mast, through the eye in the opposite strap, tend
the lifts and braces, slack up the Uzard, and **sway
across," squaring the yard, and passing the parrel for a
full due.
Note. — The outer ends of snorters are generally plaited
like sennit, that they may lie flat, and permit the eye of the
lift and brace to fit over snugly.
tlo^yal ^^ai*cls« The routine of rigging and cross-
ing is precisely similar to that of the topgallant yards ; the
differences being that the quarter-blocks are single, there
are no backers, and the foot-ropes never cross abaft the
mast.
In many ships small hand grommets are worked around
the jack-stays for the men to hold on by when at sea.
110 TRY8 AIL-MASTS, GAFFS AND BOOMS.
TRYSAIL-MASTS, GAFFS AND BOOMS.
These spars are usually swayed on board by means of
the fore or main yard and stay tackles: purchases most
frequently in use, and convenient at tnis stage of the
equipment.
Ti'jV'ft^ail-^i^M^^^tK. The trysail-mast is shipped bv
means of a tackle hooked to a strap above the f uttock-band,
the head being pointed through a hole in the after-chock,
and the heel (over which the hoops are passed) stepped in a
socket or mortise, on the fife-rail, or on the deck. After
which, the head is secured by a lashing through a B-cleat
underneath the top, or with iron keys ; copper having been
put on in the wake of the gaff.
The spanker-mast may oe fitted with an iron spindle in
the heel, stepping into the heel-strap of the spanker-boom.
Cjra.ll is. Figs. 343 and 344. The plan at present gener-
ally adopted in the service for trysail and spanker gaffs
is to fit them with jaws and in connection with a trysail-
mast, there being hoops on the gaff and trysail-mast for
bending the sail. Gaffs may be seen in some vessels secured
directly to the lower mast by means of .eye-bolts within
each other, like lock thimbles. Another plan is to have a
scored batten secured on the after side of the mast in place
of a trysail-mast, with metal slides furnished with bending
loops sliding up and down in the c^roove of the batten. In
this case the gaff attaches to a sliding chock, which also
moves up ana down in the score of the batten, ''railway
fashion, as it is termed.
The ordinary gaff first described may be fitted with a
Kermanent span of wire rope or chain, from the shoulder
and to the after part of the cap, and a similar throat
pendant shackling to the upper part of the gaff between
the jaws and to a bolt under the top ; or, tlie span and
throat pendant may be replaced by peak and throat hal-
liards, sometimes rove in one, as described under running
rigging. The blocks for these halliards are iron-strapped.
vangs are fitted with a pendant that hooks into a band
on the siioulder of the gaff.
The vang pendants having been liooked, the gaff is sent
aloft by means of its halliards, or by a top burton hooked
into a strap around the peak pendant and another tackle
from under the top, shacKliiig- the pendants as soon as the
gaff is aloft, and passing the jaw rope or parrel.
In view of the frequent use of trysail gaffs as derricks in
raising weights through the hatches which they plumb, the
gaffs and their fittings should be as substantial as possible.
A very important part of the fitting of a gaff is the
saddle (a), Fig. 344, Plate 04. This consists of a block of
wood, which bolts in between the jaws and is hollowed out
Plate 62
-f^^^
H^g.338
L_
TBY8AIL-MASTS, GAFFS AND BOOMS. HI
to fit the mast. It facilitates the hoisting of the gaff, for at
whatever angle it may be, the same smooth surface of the
saddle is presented to the mast.
Saddles are particularly useful in small vessels where
the eaff is frequently lowered and hoisted.
Tne «panfccr-g^aff should always be fitted with throat and
peak halliards to hoist and lower, as necessary ; for other-
wise it would be almost impossible to reef the sail. In
brigantines and schooners it is not unf requently the case
that eye-bolts are attached to each side of the jaws, for
preventer lashings in heavy weather ; and a single block
(grommet-strapped) is put over the gaff end for a down-
haul : vangs being dispensed with as useless, on account of
the sharp angle at which they act, in consequence of the
height of the gaff.
booiiiH. That for the spanker is neatest if shipped
with a goose-neck to an eye-bolt on the mizzen-mast, Fig.
345, and fitted with an iron oand over the boom-end for the
topping-lift and the guys, both of which connect to it with
sister nooks. The sheet-blocks are best if strapped with
rope-groDMnets, on account of the jerks and checks in jib-
bing, which render eye-bolts liable to snap and break at the
necK. These blocks are fitted with clip-hooks if the eye is
up and down. The foot-ropes hook into a band on"^ the
boom end, and seize to eyes on the sheet band. Fig. 346.
The topping-lifts (one on each side) are usually fitted
with sister hooks in the end and hook to an iron band,
about one-fifth of the extreme length of the boom from the
outer end ; while the running parts reeve through blocks, at
each side of the mizzen tressle-trees, and thence to the deck,
where gun-tackle purchases are attached. In men-of-war
of the smaller class, and in the merchant service, the
topping-lift is not unfrequently single, and rove through the
gaff -end, and a roller in the after-part of the mizzen-topmast
tressle-trees ; the end is turned up around a thimble into
which a jigger is hooked.
On the main-boom of brigantines and schooners the
topping-lift is usually fitted with the standing part secured
at the mainmast-head by hooking in an eye-bolt of the
wythe ; while the lower end is spliced around a double
block, in which a fall is rove, leading through a single one.
and a sheave in the boom. In this class of vessels the clew
of the sail shackles to a band around the boom. A heavy
strap (which is cleated forward), with thimbles at each sid(\
is put around the boom at the sheet-block for the booni-
tacjcle pendant, which is fitted with a hook in the after-end
and a thimble in the forward, and is used only in going large.
The boom is got in its place by means of the throat-hdiy
hards and topping-lift, assisted by guys and thwartship
tackles, as requisite.
Stuclclinsr-So.il JiooniK. That for the lower
112 TRYSAIL-MASTS, GAFFS AND BOOMS.
Studding-sail is fitted with an iron goose-neck and key,
which connects to a bolt in the forward part of the fore-
channels, and is shipped either by means of the fore and
main yard-tackles, or with tackles on the fore topmast back-
stay and forward swifter of the fore-rigging. On the outer
end, about two-thirds from the goose-neck, an iron band is
fitted on the boom, having eye-bolts on the forward, upper,
and after sides, for the topping-lift and the guy-blocks ; moor-
imj pendants with large thimbles in the lower ends for the
boats, and a Jacob' s ladder are hooked, when in port, to the
boom. The eyes for the pendants are underneath the boom,
and those for the Jacob's ladder are on the upper after side.
The topping-lift is of wire, it hooks to the upper eye-
bolt in the band on the boom, reeves through a metal block
hooked to an eye in the bolt which shackles the fore brace-
block to the yard, thence through a block at the lower cap-
usually the after sheave of the lift-block. The inboard ena
of the topping-lift is turned up around a thimble, into which
a purchase is hooked.
The guy-blocks are iron-strai)ped and hook to the band.
When the boom is rigged out in port a life-line is seized
to the topping-lift, about breast-high from the boom, with
its inner end secured inboard in the chains, in line with the
boom.
When the boom is not in use it is hauled alongside by the
after-guy, and rests in cranes, shipped for the purpose in
the waist, the topping-lift being unnooked and tncea up out
of the wav.
The lower boom is so called at sea, and is known as the
swiiiqing-hooin in port.
'lOpiiiitKt Htixclcliiig'-Sitil 15c><>lll^4• Round,
spruce, or yellow pine spars, unpainted excepting their pro-
jecting ends. The outer end is fitted witn a permanent
tack block, swivelled upon it. Fig. 347, and in line with the
axis of the boom, or else there is an iron pin driven through
the boom vertically, near its outer end, Fig.i348.
The inner end, or heel, has a deep score lor a heel-lashing
when the boom is rigged out. Outside of this score there
are two holes bored in the boom, one up and down, and one
fore and aft. Fig. 347. A erommet strap is worked through
each hole, one having a thimble for the in-and-out jigger,
and the other a thimble for the tricing-line.
The inner strap is fitted through tne hole bored fore and
aft, in line with tne score. It is used for the boom tricing-
line. Splice a heel-rope around the neck of this inner strap.
Unclamp the quarter iron. Fig. 347 6, on the yard, and
prepare for sending the boom aloft.
Carry out a whip on the fore-yard, secure it well up on
the fore-lift. Hook a clew-jigger from the lower cap to one
of the grommets on the heel of the boom ; the whip from
the fore-yard is hitched to the boom far enough out to clear
Plate 63
iri«.330
iTiiS/i I i. a
l'
TRYSAIL-MASTS, GAFFS AND BOOMS. 113
the quarter-iron, using the heel-lashing for a back-lashing.
Have a gnj from forward, sway away on whip and clew-
jigger, keeping the outer end uppermost. Land the boom
on the quarter-iron. Now sway up on the heel and point
the boom fair through the boom-iron. The blocks for the
lower studding-sail halliards and topmast studding-sail !
tack, when placed, go over with straps fitted to go neatly
around the boom-end, and are kept from slipping in by the i
iron pin above referred to. \
When the tack-block is a permanent one, with a swivel, '
the halliard-block hooks with sister-hooks to the neck of the '
swivel for the tack. i
The above blocks are taken off in port, except the swivel- '
ling tack-block, wliich, when fitted, is a fixture.
Clamp the quarter-irons, hook the boom tricin^-line, rig
out to the square mark and take off the clew jigger and
whip. Lastly, seize a hook horizontally on the vard, just i
inside the burton strap, with the point outboard, for the
purpose of securing the boom, when setting the sail,* and I
shirt the in-and-out jigger ready for use.
Top-jarallant Htiiclfliiig'-^inil T^ooitik^, Fig.
349, are rigged nearly in the same manner, but have no hal- I
liard-block at the outer end, and the tricing-line goes directly
through the inner hole in the boom (no grommet), with a
Mathew Walker knot in the end. There is no quarter-iron ;
instead, a quarter-strap of rope mav be fitted. This forms
a figure eight around the yard and boom, seized where it
crosses on the yard. One end is split to form two eyes.
The other end has one eye (all eyes leathered), and the two
ends are held together, when the boom is rigged out, by a
toggle. The toggle is taken out as soon as the boom is
rigged in, to be ready for tricing up. Fig. 350.
Instead of the rope quarter-strap, some ships use a rope
jackstay, seized to tne eye of the topsail lift, and set up to
Its opposite in the slings of the yard! In this case a becket
is fitted in the heel of tne boom, which toggles to a travelling
bull's-eye on the jackstay. '
The tricing-line leads from the top up through a single
block seized to the forward swifter of the topmast riggings,
close up to the eyes, thence down to the boom, where it is
rove through a single block, and is then secured to the heel
of the boom. When it is required to rig the boom out, the
tricing-line is converted into an in-and-out jigger, thus : —
The tricing-line is let go in the top, and the single block,
through which it passes at the heel of the boom, is taken
out on the vard, takiing out the bight of the tricing-line with
it, and hooks to a thimble on the yard.
The boom, when required for setting the sail, is secured
* The heel-lashine is passed over the book, and back tbroagb tbe score in
the boom, and two hair-hitches taken with the end around all parts.
lU RUNNING RIGGING.
by means of a lashing passed over a hook on the yard,
like that for the topmast studding-sail boom, already men-
tioned.
The booms on the topsail-yard are usually sent up by the
halliards, rove through a block, secured to the forward-
swifter of the topmast rigging, the boom being slung in a
span.
RUNNING RIGGING.
Besides enabling us to measure for, and cut. standing
rigging, a fore-and-aft draft of the ship gives the length of
all running rigging. To measure for main-topsail clew-
lines, for example, supposing them to be double, take
twice the distance from the clew of the main-topsail, Fig.
284, Plate 43 , to the quarter-block on the topsail-yard, to
which add the distance thence to the deck, plus end enough
to lead out ; double this to get the other clew-line and
divide by six to reduce it to fathoms, and so for any other
rope. One half of each upper yard should be represented
as on the cap, in order to measure for lifts, &c.
When a rope leads direct and is not exposed to unneces-
sary friction, it is said to have a clear or a fair lead, an
extremely desirable condition, and one too frequently neg-
lected.
Rope supplied in coil has had turns hove in it in the coil-
ing. To get these turns out, the rope must be '* thorough-
footed." To do this, if the rope is right-handed, lay the coil
-flat, with that end inside wnich goes around ''with the
sun" (to the right), now haul that end up through the
coil and coil it down, left-handed. Then dip the new upper
end down through and coil again left-handed, and repeat a
third time. The rope is then stretched, and the gear cut
and rove oflF. First in importance may be mentioned :
BRACES.
Foi-e-T5i*tiO€^K, Fig. 351. Hemp, left-handed, stand-
ing part of wire to extend forward of smoke-stack. Stand-
ing part hooks to eye-bolts in the bibbs or to the neck of the
brace-block bolt at the bibbs, as in Fig. 3516, thence through
blocks on the yard from up, doiDt, back through other
blocks on the outside of bibbs and down to sheaves in the
fife-rail (usually from aft, forward) .
iVJ[aiii-JE3raees<« Standing part hooked into the
bumpkins aft, or into an eye in the breech of the block,
then through brace-blocks from down, up, back to othei*»
on the bumpkin {inside the standing parts) and through
sheaves or leaders in the bulwarks.
On board large ships where there is much drift to the
BRACES. 1 1 ^
main-brace, it will be found very convenient to fit the
standing part with a jigger, thus : Into the end of the brace
splice a single block, and to the eye in the strap of the
brace-block on the bumpkin, hook the double block of a
jigger. Reeve the fall, the hauling part leading in through
the bulwarks with the hauling part of the main-brace.
After haulinfi^ the main-brace moderately taut in the usual
way, a few hands on the jiffger fall on the standing part
will get the brace as taut as desirable.* Fig. 353.
It is usual to have a permanent timenoguy f leading from
the mizzen rigging to the main-brace, the object being to
keep the bi^ht of tne brace from fouling the quarter-davits
whdQe working ship.
The same has been found needful in the main rigging-
on board very long ships to avoid fouling the waist davits.
The timeno^y is seized to the standing part of the
brace, the hauling part reeving through a thimble.
OroHs^ack: Mracess. The standing parts hooked
into the strap of a double blockt hooked to an eve-bolt on
each side of the mainmast, in a line with the yarcig — thence
to the brace-blocks from down, up, and back to the inner
sheaves of those on the mainmast.
Fore-topsail 13races. Standing parts fitted
with eye-splices lashed together abaft the mam topmast-
head, laid along in the doublings of the collar of the main
topmast-stay, and stopped down on each side to and below
the crotch, to avoid chafe from the foot of the sail and brace
blocks ; thence forward and down through the brace-blocks
to clunap-blocks, seized to the main-stav, Fig. ;351, at the
fork. Thence through blocks at the bibbs to the main fife-
rail. Lead there through sheaves, usually from forward, aft.
>Iaiii-topsail Uraces^. Standing part hooks to
an iron traveller, which moves up and down the mizzen
topmast to shift the strain lower down as it becomes greater
(if the mizzen-topsail is reefed or taken in), thence to the
yard and down to hanging blocks on the mizzen-mast,
about half way between the top and the deck.
>XiKKeti-topKail Hi'noes. The standing* parts
hook to the strap of a block at each side of the main cap :
thence to the yard from down, up, back to the blocks, and
so down through the lubber's-hole to the deck.
All the above braces are of hemp, left-handed.
l^ore-top-orallant Bi*acew are usually rove
single, the standing parts going over the yard-arins with
* Tlie same principh* may be variously apfilied, as to a main tnck. tlie slieet
of a Bchooner's lu^ rore«ail, &c.
f A timenoguy 18 aiiy piece of rope placed to ])revent riprging from chutinjr
or fouling.
1 The outer sheave is for the mizzen top-bowline.
$^ Otherwise, the angular action of the brace would cant the yard either up
or down, and consequently slack one or the other of tlie mizzen-topsail leeche*.
11*:> BRACES.
the lifts, thence through span-blocks on the main-topmast^
stay collar, and others, under the eyes of the topmast
rigging — whips (the standing parts of which are secured to
the deck) being attached to the ends, in large ships. The
whip-blocks should be iron bound with swivel-eyes. Brace
of hemp, whip of nuniila.
>Xaiii-t<>p-jrnllnrit T^i*ii<*€*8<« l^ide preceding,
and substitute nnzzcu tor "main." Brace hemp, whip
manila.
>rizzeii-tc>i>-pfalljiiit lifsi <*<*!<• Through small
blocks, underneath the main-topmast cross-trees, or seized to
the main-topmast backstays. Brace single, manilla rope.
K'oiH^-i-o.vsil Ui*sVeeK are single (without whips),
and rove like the top-gallant braces, except that they are
taken to the main-top-gallant mast-head. The blocks are
now generally made of metal, and hook to eyes in the
funnel, or are seized to the top-gallant rigging.
ZVXiiiii-i'o.^'sil lli*ivc?OK. Same as fore-royal braces,
except taken to >n/zzen-top-gallant mast-head.
>Xizzc*ii-i'<>.vnl IJi-acroK. Single, and through
sheaves in the after-chock of the main-topmast cross-trees.
All royal braces are of manilla rope.
''l^opiiiiist Htiulcliiijr->^siil-l><><>iii lii*ai'€*M
may be either single, going over the boom-end with a run-
ning-eye and leading through a tail-block on the forward
swifter of the main rigging ; or double, with a pendant and
whip leading to the mam rigging.
l*i"#*veiit<*i" IJi'iiee!^ are fitted with a pendant
and whip, the former going round the yard, hooking to its
own part, and the latter led to the deck, well aft, when for
bad weather. When rove for action, they are led forward..
HALLIARDS.
^^op^<s^il-lInllisll•<l^«• Where double tyes and
gins are used, the standing part of the halliards is spliced
to a single block (which is iron-strapped and fitted with a
swivel), in the channels, on ea(*h side, and then rove
through a double one hooked to a thimble in the end of
its respective tye. A double purchase is used in heavy
ships.*
* Bell's ])iirrha8e, as usuttlly fitted for the mizzon -topsail halliards. Tho
tye used is single, of flexible wire, reeving through the sheave in the topmasU
Tlie four blocks are single (see Fig. 354) ; block A shackles into tye abaft the
luast, blocks B and C an* in the after part of the mizzen chains, one on each side
of the ship : block D is at the height of the lower mast-head when the topsail-
yanl is on the cap, but close down to the leading block on deck when the yard is
hoisted. The parts markt^l 1 and 2 are securely seized together at A. Power
gained is as 7 to 1, friction not considered. Fig. 855 shows a similar parchaoe.
for heavier yards.
HALLIARDS. 1 1 7
Top-jarallant FIt:i.lliiii-clH ; rove off on going to
sea. The top-gallant yard ropes being rove in the jack-
blocks, a '* snort yard rope " reeves through the sheave in
the mast with sister-hooks in one end, hooking to the slings
of the yard, and a thimble is then seized into the other end,
for the top-gallant purchase. This is a tackle hooked into
the lower trestle-trees, fall sent on deck. To unreeve the
short yard rope on going into port, turn out the thimble.
The long yard rope is coiled down in the top, ready for
use in sending down the yard if necessary.
K/O.val-IIalliai'clK are best, if fitted with a gun-
tackle purchase, thus : The yard-rope, being rove in a leader
on deck, is passed through a single block fitted with a strap
having an eye, and toggled on abreast the top, as repre-
sented in Fig. 352, Plate fKl. In the event, then, of having
to send the yard down, it is onlv necessary to take off the
block, whicn will leave the yardi-rope clear for running.
The strap of the block may be a temporary one and made
of a selvagee and the yard-rope, Fig. 00:2 (a).
Tlii»oat-IIixlliiii*<l?^. If for a spanker or trysail,
they usually consist of a purchase rove through double and
single blocks ; the former hooked to a bolt on the under
side of the after lower chock, and the latter to a band and
eye-bolt at the jaws of the gaff ; the hauling part leading
through the upper block from aft forward, to the deck. In
brigantines and vessels with a boom-mainsail, both blocks
are double.
l^e«,l£-Halliai'cls<« The best plan for peak-halliards
is to reeve them as follows : Hook the standing part into the
breech of the mast-head block (which is double), and reeve
thence tlirough the inner block of the gaff, from aft for-
ward; then up through the port sheave of the mast-head
block, out through the block at the gaff-end, from forward
aft ; and lastly, back to the sheave of the mast-head block.
The merit of this system will be api)arent, if we consider
that the hauling part, by being rove last, at the gatt'-eiid.
permits the peak to drop the instant the halliards are let go.
The stanaing part may be rove through the third sheave
of the block (treble) at mast-head, and have a small single
block spliced in the end, through which re(*ve a whip ; this
enables the peak to be pulled up taut. The latter plan is
adopted by all large schooners and sloops, and is on the
same principle as applying a purchase to the standing part
of the main brace.
Htoiixi-Sta.vwail ITa-lliai-cljs!. The fore-storm
staysail-stay, fitted of rope of the proper size, having in its
upper end a stout iron toggle covered with leather, toggles
into the crotch of the fore-stay. The lower end, after pass-
ing through the hanks of the sail, reeves throug;h a stout
bulrs-eve strapped to the bowsprit, and sets up with a luff.
The halliards are sometimes a luff, and sometimes a gun-
118 HALLIABDS.
tackle purchase. The lower block hooks to the head-cringle
of the sail, the upper to an eye-bolt under the top, or to a
strap around the collar of the fore-stay.
This gear is rove only on the probabilities of bad weather.
Jil> stud Topiiiast-Stay»ail Ha.llia,i*d.»
are rove through the upper sheave of iron fiddle-blocks,
hooked to a bolt in eacn side of the topmast trestle-trees,
thence through hanging blocks in the after-gart of the
trestle-trees, to keep them clear of the topsail tyes and
lifts. The jib-halliards are double, and reeve through a
block in the head of the sail, with the standing part half-
hitched and lashed to the crotch of the stay collar. Hal-
liards of manilla. The staysail-halliards are single, with
sister-hooks to the head-cringle and a whip, the T)lock of
which comes just below the hanging block when the sail is
taken in. Pendant hemp, whip manilla.
The lower sheaves of the fiddle-blocks serve for the top-
sail buntlines.
The jib-halliards should be led on the starboard side, and
those for the staysail on the port — ^a rule which is self-
evident, when we remember tnat the latter is set on the
port topmast-stay. The method of fitting these halliards
with whips, is not approved of by seamen generally, on
account of the liability to tangle and get foul in hauling
down the sail ; and the obvious necessity of separating the
parts widely from each other.
Note, whenever a whip is used, as in the foregoing, it
is well to use an iron-strapped swivel-block, splicing the
pendant into the eye of the swivel, to avoid cable-laying.
I^^l vii:ig--,Til> Jtl£Lllia.i*clH9 manilla, are rove single,
througn a small iron fiddle-block hooked to an eye in the
lower rim of the funnel (on the port side) under the eyes of
the rigging, and connected to tne head-cringle on the sail
by means of sister-hooks. In large ships, however, they
are sometimes rove double, and the standmg part seized to
the splice of the stay on the under side. Tne small iron
fiddle-blocks are for flying-jib halliards, topgallant bunt-
lines, and topgallant bunt-jigger.
All iron hanging blocks, like those above described for
head halliards, as well as those for the topoail-tyes, are
commonly known as " j/m" blocks.
GS-ail-to j;>jsail IJa^llisii^clK are single, and in barks
and ships, are rove through a sheave in the topgallant
mast-head, and attached to the yard with a fisherman's
bend; or if the sail is triangular in shape, to the head-
cringle, with a sheet-bend. On board oi schooners and
hermaphrodite brigs, they are rove through a sheave in
the topmast-head.
LoAvei* Stnclclingr-Sail Ha^llia^i^ds. The
outer halliards reeve through the lower sheave of a fiddle-
block, which is strapped with a long pendant, and hooks to
MAIN BRACE OF A FIRST RATE
SHEBTS. 119
a strap around the topmast-head above the eyes of the
rigging; thence to the halliard-block at the end of the
topmast studding-sail-boom^ and attached to the yard with
a fisherman's bend, or a studding-sail halliard-bend. The
upper sheave of the fiddle-block is for the topmast studding-
sail-boom toppine-lif t, when one is used. Or they are rove
through a span-block on each side, which is secured with
lashing-eyes above* the topmast rigging, and forward of the
shrouds, the hoisting part leading on deck through the
cross-trees and the lubber's-hole. The inner halliards are
usuallv formed out of the fore clew-jigger, hooked to the
inner head-cringle of the sail and to the cap.
Topmast Stn.clcling'-Sail IIctllia.i*d.s are
rove on each side through a single block hooked to the
topmast cap ; thence abaft the topsail-yard, through the
jewel-block, and so to the deck, where they are attached to
the central part of the studding-sail yard with a fisherman's
or studding-sail halliard-bend.
Toi^prallant Stri.d.cling--Sail IIsiUiaKclH
are rove on each side, through a single block (which is
fitted with a rope-strap and tail), hitched above the eves of
the topgallant rigging ; thence abaft, to the jewel-block,
and so to the top, where they are bent to the studding-sail
yard, in the same manner as the halliards previously men-
tioned, the hoisting part being sent down to the deck abaft,
and clear of all.
The halliard-blocks at the mast-head are much neater
when fitted with lashing-eyes.
All the studding-sail nalliards are manila.
SHEETS.
Fore and IVIain Sheets. The standing parts
are connected to eye-bolts on the outside of the bulwarks
with sister-hooks, just forward of the sheaves for the
hauling parts : thence they are rove up through the blocks
at the clews ot the sail, and back, inboard through the bul-
wark sheaves. Hemp, tapered. Fig. 357.
Topsail Slieets. When aouble, as on board of
first-rates, the st£^nding parts are clinched around their own
parts and go around the yard-arms outside of all, and thence
rove from out in, through the sheet blocks to the yard
sheaves, and the quarter-blocks in the slings ; being led,
lastly, to the bitts on deck, forward of the mast. If smgle,
they are simply secured to the clew-cringle with hooks ;
but where chain is used, they are connected by small stout
iron shackles.
Topsail sheets are usually- hemp, Fig. 356:
I*'i0 SHEETS.
Toji^g-allant a^ncl Xloj^al Sheets are always
single. The former hook to the clews of their respective
sails, and the latter have a sennit eye, which fits over a
toggle on the clew of the royal. Topgallant sheets reeve
through the topsail-yards, to the a/Ter-sheaves * of the
quarter-blocks, thence they are led through the lubber's-
hole to the deck. Royal sheets are rove in the same way.
except through the sheaves and quarter-blocks of the top-
gallant yards, and thence through thimbles on the f uttock-
staflfs of the topmast rigging (abreast of the second shrouds),
to the top or deck, as may be preferred.
These sheets are of hemp.
Stc>i*iii-Stit.VKiiil HlieelK are temporarv pur-
chases, and consist usuallv of stout luflfs hookei (and
moused) to the clew-cringles, and brought well aft, in
order to form, as near as possible, a line with the foot of
the sail. The hauling part should then lead from the for-
ward'\Aoc\ij by which a greater purchase is obtained ;
although the reverse of this is advocated by many seamen,
on account of the difficulty sometimes experienced in
getting a turn with the belaynig-end, in consequence of the
apping of the sail ; but this objection will be entirely
overcome, if the sheet be hauled aft, and the foot taut,
before hoisting.
'"l^i'.VKiiil Hlie€^ts<. The best plan for fitting these
is to have a pendant attached to the clew of the sail for the
sheet to hooK into, as it saves the trouble of "lighting uj)"
the blocks to hook and unhook in shifting the sheet, as in
wearing ship, &c. The sheet is an ordinary luflf and hooks
well aft to an eye-bolt in the deck.
•Iil> micl l''oi>iiiiiHt-Wtai.VKnil Hlio^^tK. Both
of these are fitted with a hemp pendant and manilla gun-
tackle purchase, as follows :
The pendant, which is wormed and served, shackles into
the clew-iron, and has a single block spliced into the in-
board end. The other block oi the purchase hooks to an eye-
bolt in the deck. A third single block is often hooked into
the deck abaft the purchase-block, as a leader for the
hauling part, f
The deck blocks for the staysail sheets are forward of
those for the jib.
The standing parts of these head sheets hook into
beckets in the breech of the pendant block.
r<^lyiiig;'-jil> Hlieetss, may be single, but are gen-
* In v<»ssel8 whore the quarter- blocks fixe thrcefoJd, the topgallant sheet i3
rove in tlie iiUddle sheave.
f The ]M)sition of the bolls and bhx-ks (or sheaves) must be such, that the
sheet, when taut shall form a line at ripht anv:1es with the hiff of the sail — for
otherwise, either the foot or the letMJh would become slack, and the jib thus be
deprived of a pfreat portion of its efficacy. Head sheets should have a cuckold's
neck in the end to prevent un reeving, by accident, as in a tHjuall.
10
/
SHEETS. 121
erally fitted with a pendant and whip, hemp and manilla.
The pendant shackles or hooks into the clew-iron, the stand-
ing part of the whip secures to the whisker or to the head-
raol, and the whip reeves through a block on the end of the
pendant, a thimble on the whisker and in on the forecastle,
forward of the stay-sail sheets.
The object of the pendant is to keep the weather whip-
block to windward of the stay, if possible, and it is fitted
accordingly, sometimes reeving, itself, through the thimble
on the wnisker, the whip coming inside of it.
Sp£i,nl£er* Slieetm^ are rove in one with the guy.
The standing parts are hooked to the shoulder-band, and
rove to the (double) block in each quarter ; thence through
the sheet-blocks on the boom from forward afty and back
to the second sheaves of the double olocks.
Booiii-iiia>iiiH£i.il SIieetH. In small craft, as
schooners, &c., a purchase of double-blocks, and working
on a traveller, is used ; but in larger vessels, two (attached
by separate straps, and hooked to eye-bolts in each quarter)
are employed to manage the boom — the hauling parts in
either case leading from the upper block. This latter
method is by far the better, as every one who has had to
"jibe" a boom-mainsail, with a single sheet and crotch-
ropes, in heavy weather, will bear witness to.
Cr£tii-topsa.il Sheets are formed of a single piece
of rope, which is middled, and the bight passed througn the
clew-cringle of the sail ; the ends being thrust also through
the bight, are led down on each side of the gaff to a belaying
cleat on the boom, near the jaws.
Stu.dding'-so.il Sheetfs. Those for the lower
studding-sail consist of a single piece of rope, passed
through the inner clew-cringle like those for the gaff-topsail
(or the two parts may be seized together), ana in setting
the sail, one sheet is rove from forward aft, through a
thimble or block on the goose-neck, in order to bring the
clew close down to the boom, and the other led inboard over
the hammock-rail, on the forecastle, by which to haul on
board the sail, when taking it in.
In fitting a topmast studding-sail, two sheets are also
required, which are attached to the clew in the same man-
ner as those for the lower studding-sail. One (called the
short sheet), being passed forward of the topsail, and aft
through a thimble (seized to the jack-stay or quarter-iron)
on the outer quarter of the lower yard, into the top, where
it is belayed to a cleat ; and the other, or deck-sheet, being
led to the forecastle, forward of the yard. The sheets and
down-haul are always made up with the sail.
The topgallant studding-sail sheet is simply spliced into
the clew of the sail (having parcelling on it tor two or three
feet below, to avoid chafe from the foot-rope of the topsail-
yord), and led mto the top, where it is hitched around the
1*22 TACKS.
forward-swifter, or it may be led on deck, where it may be
made of much service when taking the sail in, in a fresh
breeze. The above sheets are manilla.
TACKS.
F'or-e a,iicl IVIaiii Taclis are hemp, tapered,
rove double, Fig. 357 (except now and then on board of
small vessels, where they are single). The standing part,
which is wormed and served for a fathom or so from the
end (as a protection from wet^, is hooked to the bumpkin*
and rove through the tack-block at the clew of the sail —
then back through a leading-block inside of the standing
part, and a hole in the bulwarks.
Stixdclingr-sail Taclis^ manilla, hook to the
tacks of their respective sails, and are rove from in outy
through the blocks at the boom-ends. That for the topmast
studdmg-sail is led aft, through a tail-block on the for-
ward-swifter of the main-rigging ; and the tack of the top-
gallant studding-sail, through a leader tailed around the
dead-eye of the after topmast shroud.
The top-gallant studding-sail tack is befit, not hooked.
Note. The double blo6k in the main rigging for the tack
and boom-brace should not be tailed to tne snrouds, as it
hauls them out of line and stretches them undulv. It should
rather hook to the eye of a long pendant, which hooks far
enough aft in the main-chains to form a line with the tack,
and passes through a lizard at the proper place in the main
riggmg.
Spanliei" »ncl 13oom.-iiiainsail Tack
(X^aHliiii^»-i)^ are passed through the cringle (into which
they are spliced), and an eye-bolt on the upper side of the
boom.
The spanker-tack lashing is more frequently passed
around the spindle of the spanker-mast step.
Trysail-taeli Lasliing-K are passed around
the foot of the trysail mast, on a line with tne foot of the
sail, or through an eye-bolt in the after part of the fife-rail.
Where the trysail is fitted " railway-fashion," the lower
end of the grooved batten has a chock to keep the sliding
hanks in. This chock has an eye for the tack lashings.
Note. In laying-to, in a small vessel, under a balanced^
reefed (boom) mainsail, the tack of the sail should be lashed
up to tne jaws of the gaff, and the whole hoisted several
feet up the mast by means of the throat-halliards. In this
way the sail is elevated to the wind above the waves, and
* The main tack hooks to a bolt and block in each of the waterways, or deck,
forward of the gangway, being rove like the fore, through the block on the clew
of the sail, standing part forward.
TACKS. 123
in the event of being boarded by a quarter sea, it cannot
lodge in the belly of tne sail, but will pass between it and
thel)oom.
rra,ek» of Hestd Sa.ils. All head sails have a
cringle in the tack with an iron thimble. To secure the
jib tack there is a bail, Fig. 333, or horse-shoe of iron,
spanning the upper part of the jib-boom, inside the stay.
The two ends of the bail have eyes, throuj^h which j^asses
the pin for the sheave of the jib-stay. On this bail are
sister-hooks, which hook into the tack thimble.
The flying-lib tack is fitted in precisely the same way,
the bail being held in its place by the pin of the sheave for
the flying-jib stay. Fig. 332.
Both nails have projecting eyes, well down, for the
down-haul blocks.
For the staysail is fltted a lon^ strap, with sister-hooks
in the upper end. The strap is seized to the topmast-stay,
and has drift enough for the foot of the staysail to clear the
heel of the jib-boom. The hooks in the strap hook into the
staysail tack thimble.
This does away with the necessity of tack lashings.
CLEWLINES.
dew-O-aniets are used only on the courses.
Lead from the deck to the clew-jrarnet block under the
yard from in out, through the clew block in the sail, stand-
ing part taken between the head of the sail and the yard,
and made fast to the arm of the truss.
Topsail Clewlines. For small ships may be
single, or single with a whip. For large vessels rove as
follows ; From the deck through the forward sheave of the
quarter- block on the topsail-yard, thence through the clew-
line block on the sail, the standing part taken up between
the head of the sail and the yard, ana made fast to the neck
of the tye-block.
It would be far better to have a separate block in the
Jiuarter of the yard for the clewline, the same as is fltted
or clew-garnets. This enables the clewline to be unhooked
and shifted to the cap (as is often done) without interfering
with the topgallant sheets. Moreover, such a block has
enough play to give a fairer lead to the clewline when the
sail is bellied out by a strong breeze, and 'the sail is always
hauled up snugger. Fig. 336 shows such a block, fitted.
Tope-allant and :R.oyal Cle^wlines, are
both sin^e, are bent to the clews of the sails, and rove
through the quarter-blocks of their respective yards, and
thence to the deck bv way of the lubber's-hole. Topgallant
clewlines rove double in large ships, standing part secured
to the neck of the quarter-block.
1 24 CX£WI.JNES.
Lo'wef Htiiclclin^r-s-^til Ole^wllnow, are
simply bent to the clews and reeve cibaft the saU. through
small single blocks on the inner end of each lower studding-
sail yard, and thence are led inboard to a tail-block on the
forward swifter in wake of the futtock rigging. This clew-
line becomes the gear tricing-line when the sail is in. The
clewlines are frequently lea through a glut in the beUy of
the sail.
Ii^ore a^nd jMain Cleiv-jiorgrein^. Each con-
sists of a gun-tackle purchase, hooked to the clews of the
courses forward and to eye-bolts underneath the forward
part of the tops. In furling sails, they are found very useful
for rousing the clews and leeches up forward of the yajrd ;
while they also serve the purpose of inner halliards for the
lower studding-sails, and are often employed as yard-arm
jiggers in bending, or as reef -tackles in reefing.
Topwail CJlew-Jig-g-ei^w. Like those for the
courses. They are found very convenient in taking the clews
well up above, and forward of the yard, greatly tecilitating
the operation of furling. Upper block hooks under the top-
mast trestle-trees, or to a strap fitted around the forward
cross-tree, close in.
The lower blocks of clew-jiggers are secret and fitted
with a pendant and sister-hooks. All clew-jiggers should
be long enough to reach to the deck.
t^oi^e nncl Alain UnntlineH. Usually rove
double (i. 6., with two legs on each side), a double block
hooked under the top and a sicivel-hlook. are used in reeving
off each pair of legs. The swivel-block resembles a fiddle-
block in appearance, except that both shells are of equal
size, and their ends connected by a swivel.
Reeve the standing part of the buntline through the
upper sheave of its swivel-block, then take both ends of the
standing parts through the sheaves of the block under the
top, from aft forward, and toggle these ends, which are
fitted with eyes, to toggles on the foot of the sail.
Through the lower slieave of the swivel-block is rove a
whip, standing part made fast on deck, hauling part led
through a sheave in the fife-rail.
Where there is but little drift between the top and the
yard for the buntlines (and leechlines) there are fitted
instead of blocks under the top a pair of double blocks on
each side, hanging by the legs of a short pendant from a
bolt in the forward part of the lower cap ; sister-hooks in
the bight of the pendant hooking to the bolt. The inside*
double block is for the buntlines, the outboard one is for
the leechlines. Fig. 358.
T<>|>Hiiil Uiiiit linen are single, and rove throup^h
the loiver sheaves of fiddle-blocks * under the eyes of tne
* Upper sheaves of fiddle-blocks at the fore for the jib and fore-topmast stay-
CLEWLINES, ETC. 125
topmast ringing, thence forward through the thimbles of
lizards hitched around the neck of the tye-blocks and down
to the foot-rope of the sail, to which they toggle — ^the haul-
ing part leading to the deck through the lubber^s-hole.
They shoidd be cut long enough to land the topsail on deck.
'JTopSSkllELrxt XJuntlineH lead through the blocks
under the eyes of the topgallant rigging and toggle to the
foot of the sail, the hauling parts leading on deck.
They are sometimes fittea with two legs, one toggled to
the foot, the other to the leech of the sail, so that when the
sail is taken in, the leech is brought along the yard ready
for furling.
Topgaflant buntlines have lizards at the slings the same
as topsail buntlines.
In small vessels there is but one buntline. It is spliced
around a span, both ends of which are toggled to the foot
of the sail.
BOWLINES.
Fore BoTV^lineg*. A single rope ; the standing
part made fast to the breech of a single block, hooked to a
span between the fore-stays ; the hauling end rove through
tne bull's-eye hung from the bowline bridle, back through
the block at the stay. In tacking, &c., let go the hauling
end, and re-reeve when on the other tack.
IMiain Bowlinew consist of a whip and runner —
the latter reeving through the thimble in the bridle, and
belayed to the fore fife-rail ; and the former passing through
a block in the end of the runner, led well forward — ^tne
standing part of the whip being secured to an eye-bolt at
the fore fife-rail, and the reeving end over a pin.
In tacking, when it is required to let go the main bow-
line the standing part of the runner is cast off, and the
whole shifted to the opposite side, ready for reeving.
Top-Bo^wlineH. The fore toggle to the bridles,
and lead forward through blocks hooked to the bees and
back, inboard, to the forecastle. The main reeve through
single blocks, connected to bolts in the after rim of tne
fore-top, and thence to the deck ; and the mizzen, through
the outer sheaves of the cross- jack brace-blocks on tne
main-mast.
DOWN-HAULS.
Jib a^nd Flying-Jito I^own-liaixls, are each
Bail halliards. At the main and mizzen for topsail bunt jigger and main and
mizzen topmast staysail halliards, when rove. .
126 DOWN-HAULS, ETC.
bent to the head cringle of their respective sails, and after
being rove through a few of the upper hanks, and a single
block hooked to the bail (see Tacks) are led inboard. Jib
down-haul port side, flying-jib starboard side.
Should the bail carry away, both the tack and down-haul
blocks would be adrift ; it is therefore safer to seize the
blocks to their respective guys.
rropnia^Ht Stavsail I3oMrii-hAii.l. Rove
same as above, comes inboard on the port side, down-haul
block seized to the stay, or an eye-bolt in the bees.
Studdinpr-^^il^ Oo^wn-haixls. That for the
topmast studding-sail is bent to the outer end of the yard-
arm and rove thence through a thimble on the leech, to the
down-haul block at the tack, leading on deck, forward of
the foresail, across the forecastle to tne opposite side. That
for the topgallant studding-sail is merely bent to the inner
yard-arm of the sail, and led abaft all to the top.
GraflP-topsall Oo wn-haul (aiid CleMT'line)
is led from the after clew of the sail (to which it is bent),
through a single block at the head of the sail and thence
through the hanks on the mast down to the deck.
OUT-HAULS.
Spctnkei* Oixi>-lian.l. Hooks to an eye in the
shoulaer-band on the boom, reeves through a block on the
clew of the sail and through the sheave in the boom, belay-
ingto a cleat on the boom.
i^eak Oixt-liaui consists of a whip and pendant.
The latter is bent to the peak of the sail, rove through the
sheave in the gaff, and at a distance equal to the len^h of
the gaff, has a single block turned in, through whicn the
whip is rove. The standing part of the whip is made fast
under the top, the running part leads through a single
block and thence on deck.
Louver Stnddingr-sail Ont-liaixl is con-
nected by sister-hooks to the outer clew of the sail, and
led through a single block (hooked to the boom with clip
hooks) to a sheave above thai for the gujr in the bulwarks.
Graff^topfe^ail Ont-liaixl is hitched to the clew
of the sail, ana rove through a sheave at the ^aff-end, down
to the deck, where it is belayed to a cleat on tne boom.
Ti?j^sail Out-hauls. They are always single,
and attached to the outer head-cringle of the sail, bem^
rove through a sheave in the gaff-end to a leader hooked
under the top, and having a whip, which is led thence to
the deck*
BEEF-TACKLES, ETC. 1^7
REEF TACKLES.
Topsail reef -tackles reeve up through the lubber's-hole,
through the upper sheave of a sister-block in the eyes of the
topmast rigging (or better, through a single block at the
topmast cap), thence through a sheave in tne topsail yard-
arm and a secret block on the leech of the topsail. The end
of the standing part secures around the pacinc-iron.
Sometimes the reef -tackles are fitted thus : The standing I
part is spliced to the strap of a block shackled to the leech
of the sail, below the close-reef band, thence led upward
through the forward sheave of a double block on the yard-
arm outside of all, down through the block on the leecn, up
to the remaining sheave of the double block, and so to the
after sheave of the quarter-block, and lastly, through the
lubber's-hole to the deck. In this case the quarter-block is
three-fold, if there is no special block for the clewline.
Fore a^nd IMsLin K^eet-penclants are hooked
to the cringle and rove through a single block with lashing
eyes, fitted to the yard just outside the lift. There is a
thimble in the other end to which hooks the lower block of
the clew-jigger, upper block being hooked at the cap.
Instead of these pendants regular lower reef -tackles are
being fitted. These consist of a ^un-tackle purchase, the
lower block hooked to the reef-cringle, upper block to an
eye-bolt on the under forward part of the yard-arm. The
hauling end leads to the deck through a block seized to the
arm of the truss. These reef -tackles are cut long enough
for yard-arm jiggers in bending sail.
LEECH-LINES.
These are confined to the courses and are clinched to the
leech — outer one about one-third down from the head-earing
cringle, and the inner one about two-thirds — and thence
rove uj) through leading blocks on the bending jack-stay *
to the inner and outer sheaves (respectively) of a double
block hooked under the top, the hauling part of the leech-
line reeving through fair leaders on the lower rigging to
the side racK, on deck.
See also lead described under Buntlines. Fig. 358.
•
* These blocks should be so placed that the leech of the sails will be taut
along the yard 'when haaled up, and fitted with straps, which permit them to
hang about a foot below the yard— -a plan obviating the necessity of attending
the leech- lines in bracing up. The hauling parts of the leech -lines, after pass-
ing through the double block are often rove through a large thimble or hank
tailed to the lower part of the forward f uttock-shroud. This keeps them from
being jammed between the yard and the rigging when braced up.
128 BBAILS, GUYS, ETC.
Note. In large ships they are sometimes temporarily
rove on the topsail-yards (through tail-blocks on the for-
ward swifters) for furling sails, where the leeches are
heavy.
BRAILS.
SpAnkeT* e^nd Trvsail Brails are middled,
and the bights secured to their respective eyelet holes on
the leech of the sail by cross-seizings, the ends rove through
single blocks seized to the hanks on the trysail-mast.
in addition to the brails there is a down-haul for hauling
the head of the sail down on the gaff, rove through a block
hooked in the jaws of the gaJff. On the opposite side,
through a similar block, is rove a clew rope for taking the
clew up toward the throat. .
A. »la.l3 Z^ine is sometimes used on the foresail. It
is rove through a tail-block secured to the slings of the
yard, abaft, and hanging down clear of the yard. The end
is taken down abaft tne sail and spliced around a span
fitted with eyes, which toggle to the inner buntline toggles.
GUYS.
Lower Boom Grixvs. When double, the stand-
ing part of the forward one nas an eye, seizing to the jib-
guy just forward of the whisker, seizing to cross at every
turn to make the eve lay flat. Rove thence through a
single block on the Tboom, and back to a block with clip
hooks at the bees, the hauling part leading inboard to the
forecastle. When single, they connect to the boom by
sister-hooks, and the block at the boom is omitted. The
after guys are rove in the same manner, except abaft, to a
bolt in the side and a sheave in the chess-tree, just forward
of the gangway.
Spanker-boom Grii^n. Vide Sheets.
BUNT-JIGGERS.
Bixnt^lg-grers are used for the topsails, course^ and
sometimes topgallant-sails. Courses and topgallant sails
have single bunt-jiggers (or bunt-whips), topsails, a whip
and pendant. The topsail bunt-jigger pendant for the fore
leads through a single block lashed to the topmast-stay col-
lar, close in to the trestle-tree. For the main and mizzen
through the starboard and port upper sheaves, respectively,
of the fiddle-blocks at the mast-heads. From the olock the
bunt-jigger leads down forward of the topsail, under the
BUNT- JIGGERS, ETC. 129
focrt, and hooks to the upper glut. The after end of the
pendant has a single block (an iron-bound swivel) spliced
m and a whip rove, abaft all, to the deck.
The bunt-jiffgers of the courses lead in the same way,
through a single block under the top. Rove single.
Topgallant bunt-jiggers lead in a similar way through a
small iron block at the topgallant mast-head, and into the
top.
In manv vessels topsail bunt-jiggers * are led through a
single block hooked to the eye-bolt in the heel of the top-
gallant-mast. This gives a better lead. When sending the
mast up and down, the block is transferred to a small strap
on the collar of the topmast-stay.
CHANGES IN THE LEAD OF RUNNING RIGGING.
The above list comprises the principal running rigging
of men-of-war, together with the leads usually adopted. It
sometimes happens that the lead of the gear on deck is
modified for special reasons. For instance, in vessels with
little quarter-deck space, the hauling part of the fore-brace
is often led aft, and that of the fore-topsail brace, forward.
The object is to have the f oretopmen nearer to tneir own
parts of the ship when bracing in to reef, arid to keep them
out of the way of the men on the main-topsail brace.
X^ea.d of Greai* al>on.t the Smolce-
Sta.ek. In making long passages under steam against a
1)revailing contrary wind, it is not unfrequent to see the
ead of gear in the neighborhood of the smoke-stack, tem-
Eorarily altered for the preservation of the rope. The
auling part of the fore topsail-brace and both parts of the
fore-brace are brought down ; the standing part of the fore-
brace being hooked to a band on the mainmast ten or
twelve feet above the deck, or to a launch's davit, if waist
launches are carried.
Main-topsail-sheets are unrove from the quarter-blocks ;
gear about the mainmast is hauled up ana covered with
tarpaulins. All this takes little time to do, and in the event
of a favoring slant, the gear can be readil^r rove off for
making sail. The head braces have a fair lead when
shifted as above described, and if a favoring breeze
freshens, or seems likely to hold, preventer braces can be
clapped on, and the regular ones shifted to their proper
places aloft without shortening sail.
Temporary changes similar to the above are unobjec-
tionable, in so far as they affect the lead aloft. But care
* The tenn bunt^ger Ss preferred by many officers to the more correct word,
hurU-u^ip, The latter is likely to cause confusion in hailing the men aloft, from
the similarity of its sound to bunt line.
130
CHANGES.
should be taken not to alter leads about the deck except for
good cause. So much of the handling of gear is done in
le dark that the men may be confused, perhaps at a criti-
cal moment, if the position of any running rigRinff is
frequently varied from that sanctioned by weU-establisned
custom.
CHAPTER X.
SAILS.
Canvas is made of hemp, of flax, or of cotton.
All canva43 used in the navy for sails is flaxen, made in '
cloths of eighty yards in lenfftn, and in breadth of twenty
inches. These cloths are rolled up in separate packages,
called bolts. The stoutest canvas is No. 1 ; from this num-
ber it increases in fineness, and diminishes in strength, to
No. 9.
In selecting canvas for sails, considerable practice and
close observation are required. A good test is to bore a fid
through the canvas, when, if bad, the threads are easily
broken.
It is of importance that canvas should have a good and
even selvage, and be free from tightness.
There is a great deal of difference in the stretching of
canvas — ^that which is badly struck stretching most.
The principal sails of a ship are — ^the courses, or sails on
the lower yards ; the topsails, which are next in order
above the courses, and the top-gallant sails, which are
extended above the topsails.
For sails, see Plate 4, and corresponding reference num-
bers.
In all quadrilateral sails, the upper edge is called the
head; the sides are called the leeches ; ana the bottom, or
lower edge, is termed the foot If the head is parallel to
the foot, the lower comers are denominated clews, and the
upper comers head-earina cringles.
in all triangular sails, and in those four-sided sails
wherein the head is not parallel to the foot, the foremost
comer at the foot is called the tack, and the after lower
comer the clew ; the forward comer of the head the nock,
the after comer the peak, or head. The foremost edge {or
side) is called the fore-leech, or luff, and the aftermost edge
the after-leech,
Stav Sa.ils« These are extended upon stays be-
tween tne masts, taking their names from the stay on
which they set. Those used in the navy are the fore-top-
mast staysail, main-topmast and main -topgallant staysail
and mizzen topmast staysail.
Studdlngr SO'IIm are set out beyond the leeches of
131
132 SAILS.
the foresail, topsail and topg:allant sail, also beyond the
main-topsail and topgallant sail, being known as the lower,
topmast and topgallant studding-sails. Their upper edges
are extended by studding-sail yards, the lower edges dv
booms riffged out beyond the extremities of the ship^s
yards. These sails are used only in favorable winds and
moderate weather.
Additional Sailn. Above the royals may be set
sails called moonsails, sky-scrapers, &c. In the navy
nothing is set above royals. In the merchant service
rarely anything above a skysail. The sails usualljr set
forward of the foremast are the fore-topmast staysail, jib
and flying- jib. Some vessels carry outer- jibs, jib-of-jibs, or
jib-topsails.
Stoi'in-SailH are made of the strongest canvas,
and are used, as the name indicates, only in the hieaviest
weather.
These consist of the fore^ main and mizzen storm stay-
sails and the ^^ storm-mizzen.^' The storm-staysails set on
the respective lower-stays, or better, on a temporary storm-
stay, toggled in the collar of the lower stay.
The storm mizzen is a triangular sail set abaft the miz-
zen-mast on a vertical **stay," hooked under the after
trestle-tree, and set up on deck.
The fore and main trysails are also used in bad weather
and frequently take the place of the main and mizzen
storm-staysails.
The term light sails is generally understood in the ser-
vice to apply to the topgallant sails, royals, flying-jib, and
studding-sails.
Jibs are of great command with any side wind, but
especially when the ship is close-hauled, or has the wind
abeam ; and their effect in casting the ship, or turning
her head to leeward, is very powerful, and of great utility.
Although the yards on the foremast are termed head--
yards y yet the fore-topmast-staysail and the jibs alone are
Known as the head-sails.
The after-sails, which are those that belong to the
mainmast and mizzenmast, keep the ship to the wind ; on
which account ships sailing on a wind require a head-sail
and an after-sail — one to counteract the other, so that
the spanker being at one end of the lever, as it were, and
the jibs at the other, they are of great assistance in steering
and working a ship.
When a ship sails with a side wind, the clews of the fore
and main courses are fastened by a tack and sheet, the tack
being to windward and the sheet to leeward. The tack is,
however, not in use with the wind aft, whereas the sail
is never spread without the assistance of one or both of the
sheets.
When on a wind, ships are said to have their starboard
Plate 69
1^12.350
3^i2.360
l-"ia.301
SAILS. . 133
(or port) tacks aboard, according to the side presented to
the wind.
On the other hand, schooners have their port (or star-
board) sheets aft.
Wnen speaKing of topsails, or such sails as are set hy
halliards, the altitude is termed the hoist, thus one topsail is
said to have '^more or less hoist" than another.
When speaking of courses the same idea is conveyed by
the word drop, as one mainsail has ^^ more or less drop " than
another.
It is under the topsails that many important evolutions
are made, and they are justly accounted the principal sails
in a ship.
The draft of the ship and spars, Fig. 284, Plate 46, is of
great service to the sail-maker, as well as to the boatswain,
for by it he can measure for and cut out a suit of sails.
The sailmaker generally makes his own draft to work
by.
Were a sail to be exactly square, there would be little
art in making it. But a ship's sails are, mostly, anything
but square ; there is much skill required in the arrangement
of every cloth. In cutting out and making them up, it is a
primary object to adapt and cut the numerous gores* so
that, when brought together, they will produce the ulti-
mate form required, with the least possible waste of canvas.
This is effected by so casting the number of inches contained
in each gore, that when they are brought together they
shall be equal to the number contained in the after leech-
cloth. This is in reference to fore-and-aft sails, but the
same theory applies in the parts of square sails.
Sails should set as nearly flat as possible.
The American schooner is an illustration, where even
the lib is frequently laced down to a yard or boom, fitted
for tne purpose, in the desire to have everything set flat.
In pilot Doats and yachts the sails are set as taut and as
flat as the sacking-bottom of a bed. The utility of this plan
was exemplified in the race between the yacht " America"
and the English yacht squadron. Going free, there was
not much difference ; but on hauling up to make a stretch
to windward the flat canvas of the ** America" enabled her
to distance her competitors.
The efficiency of the '* America's" sails, as well as those
of all of our small craft, is due to their goreless shape, the
canvas being cut as much as possible on the thread or woof,
and also to tne practice of lacing sails down taut to spars or
booms. In Fig. 359. Plate 01), the foot of the sail is gored,
and as it cannot be laced down, it bellies out to leeward, on
a wind, and consequently much of the effect of the wind is
lost.
* In all sails those cloths which are cut in any direction except straight
with the thread or woof are said to be gored.
134 . SAILS.
In Fig. 360, Plate 69, on the contrary, the only gore is at
the mast to which the sail is attached ; each cloth is pulled
downwards bodily, and every single thread is stretched.
There is, with this sail, but little concave surface, and
therefore but little of the effective pressure of the wind is
lost. The same principle applies to all sails.
Cutting- oiit ^a^ilts. Sails are cut out cloth by
cloth, the width being governed by the length of the yard,
faflf, boom, or stay ; the depth by the height of the mast,
he width and depth being given, find the number of cloths
the width requires, allowing for seams, tabling on leeches,
and slack cloth ; and in depth, allow for tabling on the head
and foot. Sails cut square on the head and foot, with gores
only on the leeches, as some topsails are, the cloths on the
head between the leeches are cut square to the depth ; and
the gores on the leeches are found by dividing the depth of
the sail by the number of cloths gored, which gives the
length of each gore. The gore is set down from a square
with the opposite selvage, and the canvas, being cut diago-
nally, the longest-goreoL side of one cloth makes the shortest
side of the next : consequently, the first gore being known,
the rest are cut oy it.
In the leeches of topsails cut hollow^ the upper gores are
longer than the lower ones. By drawing on paper the
gored side of the sail, and delineating the breadth of every
cloth by a convenient scale of equal parts of an inch to a
foot, the length of every gore may be found with precision.
The foot of square sails is roached so as not to Tbe chafed
by any boat, netting, or stay, that may stand in the line of
tneir middle parts. Topsails are hollowed on their leeches,
to avoid long yard-arms for the lower reef earings.
Sails are supplied to vessels complete, with points, ear-
ings, bowline-bridles, beckets, and robands. Their edges
are tabled and stitched to the bolt-rope. The tabling of
large sails is strengthened at the clews and foot by a third
fold of canvas sewn in it. The tabling and clew-pieces are
sewn on the after side of square, and on the port side of
fore-and-aft sails.
Sea^mss. Sails have a double flat seam, and should be
sewed with the best American-made cotton twine of three
to eight threads, and have from one hundred and eight
to one hundred and sixteen stitches in every yard in
length. It is the erroneous practice of some sailmaters not
to sew the seams any farther than where the edge is creased
down for the tabling ; but all sails should be sewed quite
home to the end, and, when finished, should be well rubbed
down with a rubber. The twine for large sails used in the
navy is waxed bv hand, with genuine beeswax.
The seams of courses, topsails, lower staysails, trysails,
and spanker, are 1^ inches wide. After the larger sails have
become somewhat worn, they are sometimes treble-seamed
iliiJllijili;^
lilillilgssij^
— — *■ — ' — n * — — iiiii-LUJJ [\
i"
!i»
/ijjfliji
Muji "
'Jimiiiit
I'HilJliJll
fi!fi[IM'li '"
SAILS. 135
down the middle of the seam^ to strengthen them. Seams
of other sails are 1 inch wide. One man can sew 100 yards
in 91 hours, single seam.
Tabling-s. The tablings of sails are of a propor-
tionate breadth to the size oi the sail, and sewed at the
edge with sixty-eight to seventy -two stitches in a yard.
Holes. Holes are made by an instrument called a
stabber, and are fenced round by stitching the edge to a
small ffrommet, made with a log or other line. When
finished, they should be well stretcned or rounded-up by a
pricker or a marling-spike.
Sails have two holes in each cloth at the heads and reefs
of courses, top-sails, and other square sails ; one hole in
every yard in the luff of flying-jibs ; and one in every
three-quarters of a yard in the luffs of other staysails.
Reef and head holes of sails have grommets of small line,
worked round with stitches.
In order to strengthen sails, the holes in the heads and
reefs should be placed thus : One hole to be made in the
seam, another in the middle of the canvas, and so alter-
nately ; the holes in the seam to be half an inch lower than
the hole in the middle of the canvas. By this, the strain
would lie upon the holes in the seam, which are more capable
of bearing it than the holes in the middle of the single can-
vas. It is likewise recommended to cut these holes witn a hol-
lowpunch, instead of making them with a stabber or pricker.
ILiining's. Sails are strengthened with additional
canvas at those places most exposed to strain and wear ; in
square sails, in the wake of cringles along the leeches on
the foreside, called leech-lining, c. Figs. 363 and 364, in the
wake of buntlines on the foreside, called buntline cloths,
g ; across the foreside, called reef and belly-bands, a and 6 ;
and in the case of topsails on the afterside, called the top-
linings and mast-linings, e and /. Fore-and-aft sails are
strengthened at the clews by pieces ; and jibs sometimes
with a strain-band. There is also the foot-lining d, reef-
tackle-pieces A, and clew-pieces i.
The clews of courses and topsails are formed of iron.
The cringles for earings, reef -tackles, bowlines, &c., are
formed of bolt-rope strands, worked round the leech-rope,
through eyelet-holes in the tabling. The rope should be
new, and half-an-inch smaller than the rope of the sail.
The reef -earing and reef-tackle cringles have galvanized
thimbles.
Topsails have two bowline-cringles and one bridle on
each leech. Bowline-cringles have no thimbles.
Plate 70, Fig. 363, represents a topsail bent to the iron
jackstay of a topsail yard ; a' a" are the first and second
reef -bands, fitted to reef with beckets and toggles on the
yard : a a the third and fourth reef -bands with reef-points ;
o by belly-bands— frequently there is but one; c c, leech
136 SAILS.
linings ; rf, r/, foot lining or band ; e, top lining; /, mast
lining ; a, buntline cloths ; h, reef -tackle pieces or bands ;
t ty head tabling and head holes through wnich the robands
are passed ; all these, with the exception of the top, foot,
and mast lining, are on the forward side of the sail.
The Greai*. 1, the lift; 2, 3, reef -tackle: 4, head-
earing ; 5, 6, 7, 8, the first, second, third and fourth, or
close-reef cringle — the earing is spliced into the eyelet-hole
below the cringle, seized to it and bent to the cringle above ;
9, reef -tackle cringle ; 10, bowline cringles, bowfine bridle
and toggle for bowline ; 11, iron clew or spectacle — to two
of its eyes splice the leech and foot-rope, the eye and splice
being leathered — to the third eye shackles the topsail sheet-
block ; 12, 12, buntline toggles, between which the foot-rope
is usually leathered ; 13, 14, 15, gluts, the upper two abaft
the sail and the lower one forward of the sail as shown in
the figure.
Fig. 364 represents a course, also viewed from forward.
The lettering and numbers of the details are the same as
those for the topsail.
The clew of the course (11), viewed from forward, is
shown in an enlarged form, leathered on flap forward be-
tween eyes of spectacle.
Generally speaking, topsails have three gluts, two abaft
and one forward of the sail ; the upper one is for the bunt-
jigger to be used when furling sails. The second is for the
same purpose when furling with a single reef, and the
third, forward of the sail, is for a midship buntline^ used
for hauling up the slack of the sail in taking in the close
reef.
Courses, Fig. 364, have two reef bands on the foreside,
each being one-sixth the depth of the sail in the middle
from the head ; with a belly-band half way between the
lower reef and the foot.
Topsails have three or four reef -bands, on the foreside,
the lower of which is at half the depth of the sail, nearly ;
the belly-band, also on the foreside, is halfway between tne
lower reef and the foot.
Top-gallant sails may have one reef -band, though not
Eointed, as it is rarely ever used. A topmast studding-sail
as one reef -band for setting with single reefed topsails. A
lower studding-sail has a rolling-reef. None but the last
are likely to be of much use.
Spankers have generally two reef -bands, one band run-
ning diagonally — termed a balance-reef.
Frequently the term balance-reef is applied to the close-
reef in fore and aft sails, particularly on board of " fore-and-
afters."
The jib has a reef -band, and on fore-and-aft coasters a
bonnet which is attached to the foot of the sail by means
of a lacing. The lug-foresail of a schooner has a bonnet
also.
Plate 71
PLAN
iri|t.365
i'iC.30tJ
Fia:.367
C^SSSSSS^Ni;^
Fi«.368
Fi«.369
Fi«.370
FiE^ri
SAILS. 1:37
The term lug-foresail is applied to that of the schooner,
when the foresail hauls aft by a sheet, to distinguish it
troia aboomrforesail where the toot is laced down to a boom.
Hoping". The bolt-rone sewed on the hollow or
straight leeches of square sails, is put on with suflBciency
of slack canvas to admit of that stretch of rope which arises
from the constant strain upon the margin of such sails ;
and the necessary allowance for the stretch of the whole is
made in the calculation of dimensions of such sails. But in
the leeches of fore-and-aft-sails, as also in the round foot of
spankers, jibs, &;c., &c., a suflBcient quantity of slack rope
is introduced to keep the foot from curling up, to leave tne
after-leech of these sails free, and also to compensate for the
amount of stretch which those parts of the sails above-
named are constantly liable to.
Spankers are made with an allowance of stretch of
3^ inches in each 3 feet of the foot, H in each 3 feet of the
head, and 2^ in each 3 feet of the length of the leech.
Sails are always bent to their yard or gaff with the
roping next the spar, otherwise the stitches would be cut
through by friction.
In square sails the rope is always sewn on the af terside ;
in fore-and-aft sails, generally on the port side. The roping
of the foot is stoutest, tapering off to tne leech-rope.
Courses are usually fitted with a double reef point
forward of the sail, kept in place by a rope jackstay aoaf t,
which is rove through the bights 01 the reef points, thrust
through the eyelet-holes from forward aft.
Topsails are pointed by reeving one long point
through the eyelet-hole, and stitching it in so that two-tnirds
will be abaft and one-third forward of the sail.
Topmast SLTiA Lo^^^ei* Stxxclcling— ^ail'*'
are reefed by passing temporary stops of spun-yarn through
eyelet-holes.
JKooTn-maiiisails and spanker are pointed by
stitching the middle part of the points in holes ** stabbed"
in the seams of the sails. As in reefing, there is only slack
sail to be tied up, heavy pointing is unnecessary.
Ffench JK.ee fs« The first and second reef bands
of topsails in our service, and all reefs of square sails in the
British and French navies, are now fitted with rope jack-
stays instead of points, with reefing beckets, Fig. 367, se-
cured on the yard.
The jackstays on the sails are differently fitted. Our
practice is to use two lines, weaving them in opposite
directions right across, in and out of the holes in the sail,
stitching or seizing the crossings together, Fig. 365. The
ends of the lines go through the reef-cringle holes and
around the leech-rope with an eye-splice.
Sometimes the bights of the foremost line are shoved
through the holes with a hard kink, the after line being
138 SAILS.
rove through tlie kink, Fig. IMU), Both plans are poor, and
the same may be said of any arrangement involving an
after jackstay for a topsail, as it is constantly liable to foul
in hoisting.
The French plan dispenses with the rope jackstay abaft
the sail. The eyelet-holes are placed in pairs, each eyelet
of a pair being about two inches from the edge of a seam.
The reef -line is secured by splice to the leech of the sail,
passes forward of the sail to the first hole, reeves through
that hole from forward aft, out through the second hole
from aft forward, then in and out again as before, the two
turns of the line being seized together abaft the sail with
a flat seizing. The line then passes twice through the next
pair of eyelet-holes in the same way, Fig. 368. Another
similar plan of fitting the reef -line, also French, is shown
in Fig. 369. In this case the use of seizings is avoided, the
bight of the reefing-line being shoved through the first hole,
the end taken in the second hole through a kink in the
bight and out again, and so on to the next pair of holes.
I>oiil>le TopnailH. The lower one is bent to the
lower topsail yard and its clews are hauled out by sheets
rove in trie usual way. It has no reef band.
The upper topsail is bent to the upper topsail yard, its
clews being shackled to jackstays fitted on the lower topsail
yard arms. This topsail has one or two reefs according to
its size. It has buntlines but no clewlines.
FITTING SAILS.
Prior to bending, the sails should be carefully examined,
in order to supply any omissions, such as* the points,
bridles, thimbles, eyelets, and gluts. In addition to which,
the fore and aft sails must be prepared with hanks, brail-
blocks, lacings and lashings, and the square sails with
earings and ** rope-bands," or robands.
IXeacl-Eai'iiiqrs. Small manilla rope, one end
spliced into the head-earing cringle, the other end whipped.
It is cut long enough for two turns from the staple to the
head-earing cringle, with end enough for several .turns
through the backer.
Il.eel-Eai*iiig-K. Similar to the above, but of
heavier stuff ; one end spliced into the reef-cringle eyelet^
just below their respective thimbles ; the other end
whipped. Length sufficient te haul out to and around
the proper cleat on the yard, with end enough to expend
around the yard and through the reef -cringle for three or
more turns.
Btxll-Eainng-K. The simplest and best are of well-
worn manilla, with one end spliced into the standing part.
Fig. 370, forming a bight long enough to hitch arouna the
■ V
SAILS. 131)
yard outside the proper cleat, and reeve through the reef-
cringle and back to the yard.
Tnese are called hull-earing s, and remain on the yard
instead of in their cringles, that for the first reef being rov^
through its cringle and brought back to the yard ready for
use.
BuU-earings have been made (of smaller stuff) to give
more parts in the first turn by splicing on an additional
length in the first bight, as in Fig. 371, but they twist up in
wet weather, and are otherwise objectionable as compared
to the simple form.
It.ol>a.TiclK9 consisting of two-yarn foxes, are middled,
and secured to the head rope, by thrusting one end through
the bight, which is first passed through the eyelet from tne
fore side of the sail, and hauled taut.
Gra^Hkets. These are classed as bunt, yard-arm, and
sea-gaskets ; the first two made of plaited yarns. Those
for tne hunt consist of two single legs — one on each side of
the slin^, varying from two to three inches in width, and
fitted with a thimble in one end, by which it is secured to
the hendina jack-stay with a permanent seizing — the other
extremity having a laniard, which is hitched to the oppo-
site quarter of the yard on top ; the gaskets crossing each
other on the bunt when the sail is furled. The yard-arm
gaskets are made of sennit also, and fitted with a thimble,
or eye, in one end, and the other tapering, and secured at
equal distances (generally about every third seam) along
the yard, underneath the jack-stay, by a cross-seizing just
below the thimble. The gasket lies under the head of the
sail. When furling it is taken up forward and over, and
the end rove through the thimble, the sail tossed well up
and the end expended around its own part.
In making harbor gaskets, the broad part should be long
enough to take the saU in when furled with two reefs ; thev
should be carefully blacked, and to avoid staining the sail,
should be lined.
The sea-gaskets, or more properly furling lines (of which
there are two on each of the lower and topsail yardarms),
may be either of sennit or small-sized rope, and of sufficient
length to go around booms and all, when furling in heavy
weather. These, however, are not necessarily permanent
fixtures to the yard, although usually put round it at the
outer and inner quarters with a running eye, and the sur-
plus end bightea up with frapping turns, and thrown for-
ward of the sail, at sea. They are removed in port.
A description of bending sail will be found under the
head of Port Drills.
Fixi'ling" CoixrHes, The leeches are handed in
along the yard, then the sail rolled up snug, with the ends
of the points passed in towards the bunt, to give the sail a
gradual increase in that direction. Pass the gaskets square,
140 SAILS.
lower the booms, and if required stop up the gear. The
buntlines and leechlines are stopped to the slings close down,
and hauled taut on deck. The bowline-bridles of all sails in
furling are laid with the toggle towards the bunt, and bri-
dles taut along the yard.
When a sail is neatly furled, it appears neither above nor
below the yard — earrings well slewed up — sail smooth under
the gaskets, bunt square, and a tant skin. The heels of the
booms should be square, and everything necessary com-
pleted, previous to squaring the yards.
f ixi'ling- Topf^ailH. When the sail is nearly
rolled up, hook the ount- jigger, bouse it well up, lower
away roundly the buntlines, and shove the sail well into the
skin, taking pains to keep the bunt square ; pass and secure
the gaskets, lower and square the studding-sail booms,
clews singled and hauled well up, buntlines stopped down.
HEAD SAILS.
These sails require some fittings not strictly within the
sailmaker's department, such as the bails for tack-lashings,
the hanks, &c.
lla^nkK are stout thimbles, of the shape shown in
Figs. 361 and 362, which traverse up and down the stay.
The common plan is to attach them to the luff by foxes of
spun-yarn rove through the eyes of the hank and the eyelet
on the sail. A neater plan is suggested by Fig. 302, where
a toggle is strapped into one eye of the hank, with a double
strap of 6-threaa stuff, and hooks into a single strap worked
on the opposite eye, of 9-thread.
Fore-and-aft sails running upon hemp stays are bent with
manilla bridles, the bridles being toggled to the sails.
Those running on iron stays are fitted with hanks. Figs. 376
and 377. Bridles must be passed against the lay of the stay.
To Htow n, I lend Hsiil. Haul it close down
and pass the gaskets, have a clew-stop on the clew of the
jib to hold the clew forward of the cap, and a similar one
from the flying-jib clew to the wythe. The cover is then
placed over and the stops tied. Jib-sheets stopped down
and the sheets and halliards hauled taut. The fore-topmast
stay -sail stows in a netting or canvas bottom made for the
puroose and placed on the oowsprit between the stays.
Furling lines or sea gaskets are used in stowing the jibs
at sea ; for port there is fitted on the boom a centipede, a
piece of sennit running the length of the boom, with short
pieces of the same material running athwartship at certain
intervals. The sail stows on the centipede, and the short
ends are brought over and tied on top, as gaskets. Jibs
carefully stowed in their own cloths may be made to look as
neat as with a regular cover on, but require more care in
stowing than any other fore-and-aft sail.
SAILS. 141
The flying- jib should be sent out for bending on the star-
board side, on account of the boom being on that side of the
bowsprit.
Make up a head sail, for stowing away, on the after
leech, doubling the tack and head clew in toward the sheet
before commencing to roll up.
R^oyals and Top-grallant SailH. They
should be always bent on deck, on account of the diflSculty
of hauling out bv hand ; the earings and rope-bands are
passed like those for the courses and topsails ; tne buntlines,
clewlines, and sheets, being bent after the yard is crossed.
If, however, it should be necessary to bend the top-gallant
sail aloft, it may be sent up by the royal yard-rope, and the
head-cringles hauled out by means of the top-gallant stud-
ding-sail halliards.
Note. In furling either a royal or top-gallant sail, it
should be rolled up with a long, taut hunt, and the clews
** tucked in," to avoid tearing the sail in its upward or
downward passage.
Jb^u-i'linpr l^^or*e and Aft Sailw. They are
furled best with a cover, but can be furled in the two after-
cloths, though not usually looking so well. In furling with
a cover, bran the sail close up and stop the cover around,
commencing at the jaws and working down.
STUDDING-SAILS.
In bending these sails, place the roping of the sail on the
after and under side of the yard, secured in such manner
as to preclude the possibility of its ba^gin^ down.
The outer earings, which are spliced into the cringles
-with a short eye, are passed througn holes bored in the ex-
tremities of the yard, from the after side — thence back
through the cringle and over the yard, inside of the hole,
until three or four turns are taken, when the end is hitched
through the cringle and around the single part. The sail
is then brought taut along the yard, the inner earing passed
in the same manner, and the head-rope secured to tne yard
by neat sennit stops, which are fixtures in the evelets.
liastly, the sheets and down-haul are bent as described in
HuNNiNG Rigging.
To IVIaJie ixp Toi>nTaHt Stixddinor-Sail«
virlien not Bent. Stretch the sail taut along, and
overhaul the down-haul through the thimble and block,
and bight it along the whole length of the leech. Then roll
up toward the inner leech, lay the sheets along the whole
length of the sail, roll up over all, and stop tha sail well up
with rope-yarn. The earings are expended round the
head of the sail. The topgallant studding-sail is made up in
the same manner.
142 SAILS.
"W^hen Hent. In making up a topmast studdin
sail, when bent, overhaul the down-haul the length of the hiff
or outer leech ; then take the foot up to the yard, and place
the tack-cringle out. Bight the down-haul along the yard,
also the sheets ; roll the sail snugly up and^ stop it with
sennit-tails. These are clove-hitched around the studding-
sail-yard, and remain there. When the sail is being pre-
pared for going aloft the sennit stops are cast adrift from
around the sail, and the latter held together by a rope strap
and toggle, as will be described hereafter under Making
Sail.
Lo^^ver Stnclcliiig-So^il^ 8,re bent and made up
in the same manner as topmast studding-sails, with the
sheet in.
When readv for sea, topgallant studding-sails are kept
in the tops witn covers on.
The other studding sails are rolled up in their covers and
stowed on the booms.
It is the practice to keep, while at sea, the top-
mast studding-sail up and down the fore rigging, the top-
gallant studdmg^-sail in the topmast rigging, and the lower
studding-sails triced up and down the tore-mast. This is a
very good plan when circumstances render a frequent use
of these sails liable.
All spare sails should be tallied before being stowed in
the sail-room, as it will prevent mistakes ; and if a sail is
properly stowed, and the sail-maker takes a list when they
are stowing, there can never be any difficulty in finding
what may be wanted.
Sail-Co vei*ss. for fore-and-aft sails, and for square-
sails of steamers, very frequently have imitation gaskets,
stitched or painted on the outside, which adds much to
their appearance.
In addition to the cover for the main-sail and main-
topsail, steamers have a *' jacket" which laces around the
main-mast toprotect it from the smoke of the funnel.
liaclt-ClotliH. These are for stowing the bunt of
the topsails in. They are made of stout canvas, roped
arouno, and are attached to the after part of the yard close
up to the topmast. When arranged for furling, one cor-
ner is stopped out to the forwai'd swifter of the topmast
rigging, to the topsail lift, or wlu^rever convenient. They
add very much to the neat appearance of the sail when
furled.
They should be sent down when the sails are unbent.
The general rule for making up sails for storing away is
to make them up in the longest sid(\
All sails for the Navy are made of flax canvas; cotton
canvas is used for the following purposes:
No. 1 is principally for the construction of water-tanks
for boats.
SAILS. 143:
No. 2 for mess-cloths.
No. 3 for making taxpaulins and head-cloths.
No. 4 for deck awnings, boom-covers, hammock-cloths,
&c.
Nos. 5 and 6 for wind-sails, sail-covers and boat-covers.
Nos. 7 and 8 for boat awnings, awning curtains, wheel-
covers, &c.
Nos. 9 and 10 for binnacle-covers, side-screens, &c.
Hammock stuff for making hammocks.
Bag-stuff for clothes-bags, hatch-hoods, &c.
Cot stuff for cots.
Note. All fore and aft sails^ as well as courses, topsails
and topgallant sails, are finished with iron clews.
CHAPTER XI.
PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
In addition to the gear described in previous chapters
for handling sails and spars, there are certain purchases
specially rigged on ship-board, when required, to hoist
weights in or out of the vessel, or to transport such weights
from one part of the ship to another.
The support for these purchases may be —
First The lower yard alone, supported by its lift.
Second. The lower yards, supported themselves by pur-
chases from the mast-heads.
Third, The mast alone, as in the case of mast-head
pendant tackles.
Fourth. The lower yard supported from the mast-head
and by a derrick.
Fifth. The derrick alone.
Sixth. The sheers, already described under Masting.
IIoiJstiiipT in Lig-lit .^Li-ticleK. To hoist in an
object of no great weight, such as a barrel of flour, use two
single whips, one from the yard-arm, the other from the
collar of the lower stay. The ends of the whips secure to a
strap around the barrel, and by walking away with the
yard-whip, the barrel is raised from the lighter alongside
above the level of the rail ; clap on to the stay whip, easing
away the yard until the barrel is in line with the hatch, and
strike it below by the stay -whip.
For a heavier weight use, mstead of the single whips,
the yard and stay water-tvhips, Fig. 267, Plate 38, described
under Tackles. See that the lower lift is taut, and hook
the upper block of the yard so as to plumb the lighter.
It is desirable in port to keep the quarter-deck clear,
therefore lead the yard-tackle forward on the same side as
the weight is being raised, and the stay forward on the
opposite side.
When using the *'yard and stay," to provision or water
ship, it will be found very advantageous to use a small
single whip, or tricing-line, to light over the lower block of
the tackle, to the great saving of paint work ; the coam-
ings of hatches should be carefully protected from injury
by mats or boards.
In provisioning ship with the main **yard and stay'
(water- whips) the fore-topmen break out, make up and stow
the stay-tackle, and the main-topmen the yard tackle.
144
PURCHASING WEIGHTS. 145
_ Ueav;^' AVeig-htsi. In hoisting a
heavy object, with purchases from the yards, it is important
that the lattor should be well secured, so that the yard may
not be sprung or rigging endangered.
To Sviipport the I^owei* ATards. Use in
addition to the lift one or both top burtons, whose upper
blocks are hooked into the top-pendants. It is the common
Eractice to hook the burton of the side to the eyebolt in the
urton strap on the yard, and the burton from the opposite
side to a temporary strap around the yard. It would be
safer when the weight is so great as to '•equire the use of
both burtons to have temporary straps for each of them
near the point from which the weight is suspended, unless
the regular burton strap happens to be close to that point,
in which case it is of course used. Our general rule should
be in supporting a lower yard or derrick, to attach the sup-
porting tackles and guys to the yard or spar at the point
from which the weight is to hang.
If both yards are to be used together, as in hoisting out
boats, the main-yard will probably require bracing ttp, and
the fore-yard bracing in. Any bracing required should be
done first and then tne yard topped up on the side used, if
necessary, slacking the opposite lift.
After these preparations, haul taut the opposite lift first,
then see that the weather lift and burtons hear an equal
strain.
When the yard has been left square, or been braced /or-
ward, the burton from the opposite side is taken across for-
ward of the mast. When a yard has been braced m, the
supporting burton from the opposite side leads best abaft the
topmast and between the topmast rigging and back-stays.
H[oig;tiiig- in Spai^e Spai*js. Very heavy top-
masts may require the use of both fore and main yard and
stay tackles, but usually the main yard tackle alone will be
sufficient. Fig. 377, Plate 73.
Support the main yard by both top-burtons, get an
equal strain on lifts and burtons. Send down a clew
jigger hooked to the main lift, and sway up and hook the
upper block of the yard tackle. This block has fitted to
it a strap which is rove through the thimble of the block
and stopped to the back of the hook as in Fig. 267. The
strap goes around the yard, and the hook of the olock hooks
into its bight.
The lower block of the yard tackle is hooked to a lashing
on the balancing point of the topmast, the lashing steadied
by backlashings from head and neel of the topmast. Hook
the fore top-burton to a strap around the head of the top-
mast, and a spare burton from the main topmast head to a
strap through the fid-hole, hoist the spar on board by the
yard, ^ying it forward or aft by the top-burtons.
Hoist in other heavy spars in the same way, hoisting in
14G PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
first such as are stowed underneath. See, when hooking
on, that the spar has the same fore-and-aft direction as it is
to take when stowed, for it would be difficult to slue it end
for end when landed inboard.
Hoisting' in And out Hoa.tH« One of the
most frequent operations in hoisting heaver weights with the
assistance of the lower yards, is getting in and out boom-
boats with the yard-tackles, triatic-stay and stay-tackles.
Fig. 379.
The Tx*iatic-Hta;^ consists of three parts — two
pendants, and span. The pendants have hooks in their
upper ends, which hook to bolts in the lower caps (fore and
main), or are secured around the mast-head. In the lower
ends of these pendants are spliced thimbles, into which the
stay-tackles hook. These pendants are spanned together
by another rope, the ends oi which span are spliced around
thimbles which traverse on the pendants. The length of
the span will be the distance you wish to have your pen-
dants apart, viz. , the length of the launch.
On long vessels, where the boats stow abaft the smoke-
stack, the forward stay goes to the fore-topmast head, and
the span from the lower end of the stav to the main cap.
The main-stay hangs, as before, from tne main cap. Fig.
380.
Hoifciting- in I3ooni-t>onts8. The order will be
given : In Boats ! the crew prepare for their duties as fol-
lows :
In the launch — coxswain, assisted by some of the boat's
crew to pass out oars and sails, hook purchases, &c. ; or, if
a steam launch, to hook on the main-yard and stav to the
boiler, which is often hoisted on board first and placed in
the gangway, to be afterwards hoisted in the boat when in-
board.
On deck — fore and main-topmen clear away the booms
for the reception of the boats.
Aloft — Forecastle-men take out their clew- jigger on f ore-
vard, are responsible for the fore-yard tackle, and hook the
burton or burtons on the fore-yara.
Fore-topmen overhaul down their burtons, sending the
falls on deck ; send down fore-topsail clew-jigger for fore-
triatic, and look out for fore-stay tackle.
Gunner's-mates look out for main-yard tackle, getting
main clew-jigger on main-lift.
Main-topmen send down main-topsail clew-jigger for
triatic-stay, overhaul down burton, and look out for main-
stay tackle.
Mast-men are responsible for leading-blocks.
Note. A small strap is seized on each triatic-stay pen-
dant well below the hook. Into this becket hook the clew-
iigger, and have a single hauling-line from the top to the
hook of the stay pendant. The clew-jigger takes the weight
PURCHASING WEIGHTS. 14?
of the triatic-stay and leaves enough slack to enable the
pendant to be hooked readily.
The men being reported up, the oflBcer of the deck gives
the order, Lay aloft! when the men detailed will proceed
to their stations. The men on the yard will receive the
burtons* and clew-jiggers from the tops ; when ready, rive
the order, Lay out! The yard-men will lay out together •
secure the clew- jiggers to the lift above the burton-strap ;
hook the burtons ; and be in readiness to secure the pur-
chase, when swayed up to them. The men in the tops send
the falls of the burtons down on deck; send down from ;he
forward part of the main and after part of the fore-top, vhe
topsail clew-jiggers for the triatic-stay pendants, which are
bent on deck to their respective tackles and pendants ; and
the double blocks of the stay-tackles hooked to the thimbles
in the pendants and the hooks moused. The fore and main
braces, and the clew- jiggers, being manned, give the order,
THce up, brace in ! At which the main-yard is braced up,
the fore-yard in, the purchases are whipped up to the yards,
and the ends of the triatic pendants to tne tops. The yards
are then secured,! and the purchases hooked and moused,
as directed in the foregoing paragpraphs. While this is
going on, the launch is hauled up alongside, oars, masts,
thwarts, sails, &c., are passed out of her, and the booms
prepared for her reception. The lower blocks of the yard
ana stay-tackles are hooked to the rings in her stem and
stem posts, and the hooks moused.
Instead of trusting to stem and stern post rings, it is
advisable to fit heavy ooats with two chain spans ; the after
one hooked to an eye-bolt that is riveted through the keel
nearly under the after thwart, and to the ring-bolt through
the stern-post. The forward span hooks to an eye-bolt
riveted through the keel forward, and to the ring-bolt
through the stem. The purchases are hooked to liuKs in
the bight of each span. (See Boats.)
The falls of the purchases lead thus : That of the main-
yard purchase, through a snatch-block hooked in an eye-bolt
m the deck by the main-fiferail, and then aft. The fore
leads through one hooked by the fore-fiferail, leading aft.
The fore-stay through one hooked by the fore-fiferail, and
the main through one by the main : both the latter on the
opposite side of the deck, leading ait.
Everything being in readiness, give the order, Man the
yards /J At which tne men lay in from the yards to the top.
The yard purchases are manned, with a sufficient number of
men at the stay purchast*s, to take in ilie slack as the boat
* Top-bartons are always kept hooked to their pendants, ready for use.
f The men on the yards look out for and report when the lift and burton
•re taut alike.
t i. e., Man the faUs of the yardtaekles.
148 PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
is purchased; one man in the bows and another in the stern
of the boat. Now give the order. Walk away tcith the
yards! When the boat is sufficiently high, order, Turn
with the yards! Man the stays! At this, a turn is taken,
with the falls of the yard-tackles, two men remaining by
each to ease away as the boat comes in, while the re-
mainder of the men man the stay -tackles. Walk away ivith
the stays! As the boat comes in, the yard -tackles are eased
off, until she is over the boat-chocks; then. Well the stays!
Lower away of all! Both the yard and stay -tackles are
lowered, and she is landed on the chocks, the men in the
boats overhauling the purchases; the carpenter and his
mates being ready, as she is lowered, to place her properly.
It may be necessary to use the ordinary main-stay tackle,
or mast-nead pendant tackle, as a fore and aft purchase, to
guy the boat clear of the fore-rigging and back-stays of a
sailing vessel, or the smoke-stack of a steam frigate.
Hoist in the smaller boats in the same manner, using the
yard and stay-tackles.
If the boats have any water in them, it is well, when a
little way up, to '^ avast hoisting,'' and let it runout, or
wash out any sand or dirt that may be in them, though a
heavy boat should not remain long on the purchases.
After the boats are in (or out) give the order. Lay out !
The men lay out on the lower yards, cast off the lizards,
unhook the burtons, &c. ; the topmen cast off the end of
the stay-pendant— hands being stationed by the whips and
the braces manned ; give the cautionary order. Stand by to
lower away together! then order. Haul taut, Square away!
At this, the purchases are lowered on deck, the yards
squared, the clew-jiggers taken off the lifts; the men on
deck make up the purchases to be stowed away, and having
given the topmen sufficient time to stow their gear, give the
order, Lay down from aloft ! when all the men are to leave
the tops.
>Viiicliiio- PenclantK, Fie. 381, Plate 75. In lift-
ing the heaviest boats the upper block of the yard tackle
hooks into a winding pendant. This pendant is fitted wth a
hook in the upper end which hooks to a bolt in the lower
cap, or the pendant goes around the topmast above the cap
and hooks into its own part. The other end of the pendant
has a thimble for the hook of the upper yard tackle block.
The bight of the pendant is haulea out to its place on the
lower yard by a whip on the lower lift, and is secured to
the yard bjr a stout lizard which traverses on the pendant.
Be careful in taking the turns of the lizard around the yard
and pendant to take them above the bull's-eye of the lizard,
otherwise the strain is taken by the lizard and yard-arm
instead of being transferred to the lower mast-heaa.
To HoiHt in a Laixncli ^wlieri ixTid.ex*^wa>'
ixndei* steam, oi* having' the "wind alV.
B^g. liSS
PURCHASING WEIGHTS. 141^
Should it become necessary to hoist in a launch when
underway, when circunastances do not permit of heavine
to or stopping the engines, secure the yards as usual, ana
haul the launch up, say on the port side, get a stout hawser
from the port quarter and secure it to the stem of the
launch ; secure it also inboard. Get the purchases up,
hook and mouse them, and proceed to hoist her in as before
directed. The only difficulty is, that with headway on the
vessel, the moment the boat is freed from the resistance
she meets with in moving through the water, she will
surjsre forward with a violence in proportion to the speed
of the vessel, and endanger the yard and purchases.
The hawser from the quarter to the stern of the boat pre-
vents this, and renders the operation, as soon as the boat
leaves the water, as simple as under ordinary circum-
stances.
This evolution was performed by the " Constitution "
during the memorable and exciting chase, in which she
escaped from the British squadron, in July, 1812.
It is well when hoisting in a heavy weight to use a pre-
venter fore-brace leading from the bowsprit end.
On board modern ships the distance between the fore
and main masts is so ^eat, that the fore-yard tackle acts
very obliquelv. For this and other reasons, it would be a
ffood plan to have derricks expressly fitted for getting the
boom-boats in and out ; purchasing the sheet-anchors, guns
and heavy weights generally, to the great saving of the
yards. Tnese derricks may be rigged temporarily of spare
spars, or fitted like the modern fish-boom for the express
purpose.
On board modem iron-clads a derrick, rigged similar to
our fish-boom, is used exclusively in hoisting in and out
torpedo boats and steam launches!
jL^£iiinelieK eai*i*iecl on the U.£iil. Many of
our modem vessels carry their launches on the rail, instead of
stowing them amidships between the fore and main masts.
To support these boats there are fitted two stout davits,
usually or iron, together with iron cradles on which the
bil^e of the boat rests. The cradles are supported under
their centres by shores, on which the keel takes. The ends
of the cradles are hinged, and can drop down clear when
the boat is being hoisted or lowered.
The davit heads are supported by chain guys, spans
and topping-lifts. One end of the topping-lift is shackled
to the aavit-head, and the other has a large ring to fit over the
head of a curved iron stanchion or *• strong-back," stepped
inboard abreast of the davit. The topping-lift has a second
ring a few feet out from its inner end, which is passed
over the head of the strong-back when the davit is rigged
in for sea. Fig. 382, Plate 75. The topping-lifts are also
provided with turn buckles, for use in setting up, Fi;^. ;382a.
150 PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
To UoiHt in tlie I^Aixneh. The davits are
rigged out and the boat is hauled under them and hooked
on. Walk away with the falls, and when these are nearly
two blocks a hook in the breech of the upper block is hooked
into a shackle on the lower block. Fig. :5S:5. A rope rove
through a hole in the bulwarks around a snatch-cleat on the
cradle shore, and clamped to the inner gunwale with one of
the gripe clamps, is used forward and aft to prevent the boat
from swinging too far inboard as the davits are rigged in.
Usually a boat gripe at each end is used for this purpose.
Fig. ;^S4, Plate 7/).
When ready for rigging in, man the thwart-ship tackles
and rig in, put the topping-up rings of the chain topjnng-
lif ts over the heads of the strong-backs, raise and secure the
outboard ends of the cradles.
Now get a strain on the falls, which have been slacked
off in rigging in, unhook each upper block from its low<.*r
one. and place the launch in its craclle. Unreeve the easing-
in lines, and use them (generally) as a part of the gripe
fastenings.
The object of hooking the upper and lower fall blocks
together is to prevent the boat from easing down while rig-
ging in the davits and fouling the cradle ; besides, leaving
only the slack of the falls to be taken through after the boat
is t()])T)(Hl up.
To Floiwt ovxt the T^sLixnoIi. Having rigged
the purchases, &c., as before, cast off the gripes, pull up on
the falls, hook the blocks together, shift the topping-lifts,
unclamp tlie cradles, ease away on the thwart-ship tackles
and haul on the easing-in ropes. When rigged out, get a
strain on the falls, disconnect upper and lower blocks, and
lower away together on the falls.
On board modern vessels of war, where large davits are
not used, the heavy boats are hoisted in and out by means
of cranes or booms. Where cranes, Plate 81, are used there
is one on each side, they heel on one of the lower decks, are
sufficiently strong to handle the heaviest boats, and are fitted
with hoisting and turning engines of ample power.
Vessels using booms have them goose-necked to the low-
er-mast, and fitted with topping lifts and guys similar to the
ordinary fish boom. Pliable wire rope is used for topping
lifts and hoisting tackles. Regularly fitted boat slings and
spans, into which the hoisting tackle hooks, are used.
When hoisted in for sea the boatg are landed on cradles
which travel in and out on skid ])eams. The smaller boats
hoist in the ordinary manner to davits along the rail.
Pui-cliasiiig" TV'^aitst -tVnelioi'K. Having se-
cured the lower yards with the lifts and both burtons, the
yards being topped up, if need be, on the side used, brace
in the fore and fonrard the main-yard, and get an equal
strain on the supi)orting tackles, Fig. 387, Plate 70.
:^
w
tt
_J
PURCHASING WEIGHTS. 151
The purchases used are the yard-tackles with the winding
pendants, the lizards of the latter re&^lated so that the pur-
chase will take the anchor clear of the side, Fig. 387.
The anchor being brought alongside in a lighter with the
crown aft, pass a strap around tne shank just inside the
ring ; the anchor being stocked, lash this strap to the stock.
Hook the fore purchase into this strap, and hook the main
purchase to another strap passed down over the shank and
under the arms, the tackle hooking into the upper bights.
The forward strap should be a long one, and lasned to the
stock about one-third the distance up, to keep the stock
perpendicular when the anchor is raised. Use fore-and-aft
tacKles as necessary.
Having swayed the anchor up. rouse it in with thwart-
ship-jiggers, place the bills in snoes, or its arm upon the
gunwcQe, place the shores and pass the lashings, unstocking
the anchor.
The anchor rests on two shores, which may be of wood
resting in saucers and secured by laniards, or they are of
iron, and work on hinges, Fig. 388. The shore supports the
anchor, and also throws it clear of the ship's side when let ^o.
To hold the anchor to the side, there are usually chain-
lashings, the upper ends secured by seizings of ratline
stuff ; two from eye-bolts in the side below the anchor acting
as jumpers to keep the anchor down, two on the shank, and
one on the inboard arm to retain the anchor at the side.
In preparing to let go. the chain being bent and the
anchor stocked (by raising the upper arm of the stock witli
a top-burton ana lowering it into place for keying), cast off
the jumpers and the lashing on the arm, and stand by to cut
the seizings of the shank lashings.
]\4iAfest>]iea.cl Pendant Tackles, Fig. 390.
These are purchases, double or treble, the upper block lashed
to a pendant from the topmast-head. A top pendant may
be used to form the pendant, taking a turn with it around
the topmast-head, securing the ends together, and lashing
the upper block into the bight.
A mast-head pendant tackle is guyed clear of the top by
a guy from forward or aft, as the case may be, usually se-
cured to the pendant just above the upper block.
These purchases are very useful in hoisting heavy
articles out of the fore or main hold, or in any case when
the purchase is required immediately over the fore-and-aft
line. They could be used in place of the stay-tackles in
purchasing boats, should there be no triatic-stay.
Trarispoi'ting- Spare .A^riclioi^is, Fig. 390,
Plate 77. The anchor intended to be stowed in the fore
hatch is hoisted on board, crown up and unstocked, by
means of the fore-yard and mast-head pendant tackle, the
latter being abaft the mast. Should the anchor stow in the
main hatch and forwcird of the main-mast, use the main-
152 PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
yard and a mast-head pendant tackle at the main, and for-
ward of the mast. Use, in addition to the purchases, fore-
and-aft and thwartship) tackles as necessary, and a guy on
the ring of the anchor in getting it into place. The anchor
stows up and down, and on modern vessels usually on the
forward side of the fore hatch.
In transporting this anchor to the bows from the fore
hatch, hook the mast-head pendant tackle to a stout strap
around the crown, and a tackle leading aft on the lower decK
is hooked to the shank of the anchor to guy it clear as it goes
up. Cast oflf the lashings, sway up, and as the crown comes
aoove the upper deck use the fore pendant tackle, hooked
into a strap around the shank near the place for the stock,
in getting the anchor forward of the mast. Having stocked
it, transport it over the bows by means of the purchase on
the fore-yard and fish, as in the case previously described
of transporting anchors inboard. When high enough, and
clear of the side, lower away to the water's edge, hook
the cat to the ring, and rouse it up to the cat-head , send
down the purchases and square the yard ; bend the cable,
fish the anchor, and get it ready for letting go.
Should the anchor stow in the main hatch, hoist it out
with the pendant tackle from the main topmast-head, and
transport it forward on mats on deck.
Shoring- up a Lo^vrei* Y^arcl. Fig. 391, Plate
78. To get in a verj heavy weight, lower the main-yard
some distance below its slings, bousing it over athwartships
so that the truss arms will be clear of the mast and on tne
side nearest to the weight, which rigs the yard out further
on that side. Top up tne yard on the side used and lash it
to the mast, having nrst passed old canvas in wake of the
lashings. Use rolling taclcles on the opposite yard-arm, and
hook both top burtons in wake of the purchase on the upper
yard-arm. Fig. 391. If the jeer-blocks are needed to form
the purchase used, hang the yard by pendant tackles from
the lower pendants.
Get the spare main-topmast up and place its heel in a
shoe in the water-way under the yard. Shore up the deck
underneath and lash the head of the topmast with a cross-
lashing to the after side of the yard. Use a spare gaflf at
about naif the height of the topmast from the deck as a
shore, the jaws lashed to the derrick and the peak to the
mast. Reeve a topping-lift from where the topmast-head
is lashed at the yard, to a block lashed above the lower
cap. The topmast should be further supported by head
guys forward and aft, which are omitted in the figfure.
The upper block of the yard purchase is lashed to the
lower yard and topmast with a long lashing. Both pur-
chase blocks treble, or at least one of them fourfold, if such
blocks are available.
The stay purchase consists of a double pendant from the
PURCHASING WEIGHTS. 153
lower mast-head, supporting a treble purchase. With falls,
&c., of the following dimensions, a vessel sparred as heavily
as the Trenton could safely raise a 10-inch rifle gun : yard
purchase, 8-inch falls ; stay purchases : two parts of pend-
ant, 10-inch ; falls, 8-inch ; topping-lift, five parts of 6-
inch.
A hawser rove from forward through a top-block at the
fore cap may be secured to the eye of the stay pendant so
as to haul the stay purchase forward to plumb the hatch-
way if the weight is to be struck below. If the weight is a
fun to be placed on the gun-deck, sling it breech lieavy.
ig. 391.
The I^ennck. We have, so far. dealt chiefly with
the lower yards in describing purchases, but the derrick
possesses aa vantages which renaer it superior to a yard in
some respects, for lifting heavy weights. The derrick
transfers the weight to the deck, whicn can be well sup-
ported by shores from below. It removes all anxiety for
the safety of the yard and mast ; it can be placed Vertically
or at an angle, supported either with or witnout the aid of a
mast ; it is soon ringed, and as quickly dismantled. These
features are suflBcient to recommend it. Moreover, it may
happen in our modern ships that the vessel is fore-and-aft
rigged, or so lightly sparred as to render her yards unfit to
support heavy weights, or the yards themselves may be
sprung, and unavailable for that reason.
The following instance of the successful use of a derrick
I is therefore given to show how derricks may be rigged and
handled :
In 1881 the U. S. S. New Hampshire was towed from Nor-
folk to the Training Station, at Newport. R. I., to be fitted
^P as a School Ship at that place. Slie had her topmasts
Added, lower and topmast rigging set up. The other spars,
t davits, &c., were on deck in an unfinished condition, all
the iron-work for the yards, such as truss and sling bands,
shoul(Jei. bands, and burton straps, being stowed below.
^^ Vessel carried on her spar deck fourteen boats, two
i^^g launches of the largest size, some stowed bottom up.
Y^ Edition, there were two ten thousand pound anchors on
aecfc, one in each gangway. It was required to hoist out
' *^ ^>oats and to place the anchors on a li.ohtc^r for traiis-
i><>rtation to the shore.
7 .Tile boats were taken in hand first. The main-yard
jOiix^ the largest spar available, was rigged as a derrick.^
ij. ^^s about 75 feet lon^, the size for a vessel of the Ports-
JjMi class, the ship being much undersparred.
^ ^He lower yard-arm was stepped in a shoe close to the
^^-way, abreast of the main-mast. Fig. :jI)2, Plate 79.
^ ^t the upper end, about the place for the burton strap,
^*^ lashed the upper block of a treble purchase, 6-inch fail.
♦^^ ^tie same point were hooked into suitable straps two
**Pitig-lif ts, the upper one being the top burton of the side,
154 PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
the lower one a pendant tackle hooked into a strap around
the lower mast, just above the trestle-trees — block under-
neath the top.
A burton from under the yard-arm, close to the purchase
block, led outside to a toggle in a lower gun-deck port, act-
ing as a jumper. An outrigger for this jumper would be
needed in a vessel with less Beam.
There were, in addition, forward and after guys from
the fore and mizzen chains to the place for the upper pur-
chase block. The deck was shorea up under the heel of the
derrick. Neither belly guys nor fishes for the lower yard-
arm were required, although their positions are indicated
in the figure. The derrick, until rigged, lay across the rail,
and was raised into position by means of the mast-head
{)endant tackle ; topped up bv the topping-lifts when the
ower yard-arm was clear of the rail, the heel carried into
place by heel tackles. The derrick purchase took the place
of a yardrtackle in hoisting out. For a stay -tackle there was
fitted the mast-head pendant tackle, treble purchase, 6-inch
fall, hung with a long lashing from the topmast-head.
Each boat was brought into position under the purchases
by rollers and fore-and-aft tackles. In the case of the
launches stowed bottom up, they were lifted clear of the
deck by the mast-head purchase and capsized with the
assistance of the derrick purchase, hooked to the same
slings, underneath. The slings passed for this purpose
were simply turns of stout manilla, one sling being for-
ward of the centre of the boat, another aft, and the two
joined by spans above and below, both slings kept from
drawing together by back lashings over the stem and stem.
Fig. 393, Plate 79.
The boat bein^ upright was slung with a span for hoist-
ing out, as in Fig. 394, the span for the launches being
four turns of 5-incn manilla, fitted so as to render and take
an equal strain. Particular attention was given to the
belly lashing passed around the middle of the boat, it being
made to bear an equal strain with the span. Plank
spreaders were placed inside the boat between the gun-
wales in wake of the belly lashing. The span passed
under the fore-foot and counter, with back lashings, as in
the figure.
In hoisting out, the mast-head and derrick purchases
were lashed to the span, the boat lifted by the mast-head
purchase and swayea out and lowered by the derrick pur-
chase.
In using the same tackles to get out the sheet anchors,
both were lashed to the shank of the anchor at its balancing
point, the lashing being steadied by stout back lashings
irom the ring and crown. Fig. 395.
The purchases described would have readily lifted 11-
inch guns for a ship's battery, had it been required.
An Uprig-lit I>ei*r*icl£. To land the above
Plate 80
Fig^94
Fig.30a
PURCHASING WEIGHTS.
155
mentioped anchors from the lij^hter, an upright derrick was
rigged on shore. It consisted of a spar 20 feet long and
about 8 inches in diameter. The heel rested on the ground,
the head being supported by four guys placed as nearly as
possible at equal angles, and some 50 feet from the heel of
the spar. The spar was raised by jigfjers on two of these
guys, the other two being anchored off m the water, to get
them at the required angles. The derrick being upright
with one (double) block of the purchase lashed to its head,
the lighter was hauled in close to the shore and the lower
block of the purchase lashed inside the balan.cing point of
the first anchor, in order to drag rather than lift. The pur-
chase fall led from the upper block through a leading blocK
lashed to the heel of the derrick. The anchor was raised
bv the purchase just clear of the lighter and was allowed to
sude on skidjs to a point some 15 feet from the base of the
derrick, and each anchor was landed in turn abreast of the
derrick and some 15 feet distant from the heel.
The purchase used was 4J-inch rope, guys 4i-inch. Fig.
396, Plate 80.
A. r^i-actical l\Ietliocl of ^wcer^tainincv
the Sti-eHK on I>ein-icl«:K. In the figure, divide
any part, a c, of the supporting line of the weight, W,
mto a convenient scale representmg the weight suspended,
(in this case 5 tons).
From a draw a b parallel to the tie rod, and from c draw
cb parallel to the jib, cutting a 6 at 6. The tension on the
tie rod will be given bv a 6, referred to the scale a c, and
the thrust on the jib will be represented by 6 c referred to
the same scale.
Scales for the measurement of strains on any derrick
formed of spars on shipboard may be constructed as in the
foregoing case. Attention must be given to the relative
positions of the derrick and supports which may vary from
the above.
CHAPTER XI I.
STOWAGE AND SOURCES OF SUPPLY
THK HOLDS — lU'RKALS — NAVY YARDS.
Before commencing the construction of a vessel of war
of given tonnage, as appropriated for by Act of Congress,
each bureau of the Navy Department estimates for the
amount of space necessary to accommodate its own part of
the vessel's outfit and the corresponding weights. Then,
in making the final plans of the vessel the available space
is allotted, having due regard to the proper distribution of
weights, the protection of certain vital parts of the vessel,
and the efficient working of the battery, machinery, and J
the handling of the ammunition.
At Navy Yards where vessels are Ix^ing built, fitted out i
for first commission, or extensively repaired, the head of
Department concerned is required to furnish a list of the
actual finished weiglits of all articles behmgingto it. includ-
ing machinery and appurtenances thereof, battery and am-
munition, spare machinery, tools, outfits, stores, &c. , &c.
Plate SI shows the internal arrangement and disposition
of the store rooms, coal bunkers, chain lockers and water
tanks of the U. S. S. Indiana, and will serve to give a very
fair idea of how all modern war vessels are subdivided.
While no fixed rules are laid down for stowage there are
certain general principles that api)ly to all vessels, viz:
(1) The weights of engines, boilers, tanks, ballast, etc., i
which are permanent fixtures, must be so arranged that a *
vessel can be easily kept in the best trim by the proper dis- ;
tribution of the i)r()visions, coal and'other movable articles, j
2) The proper stowage and security of all articles.
[:i) Economy in space and a general regard to keeping
near at hand such articles as may be required for immediate
use.
On account of the minute subdivision of the interior of
war vessels the question of stowage is a comparatively sim-
ple one. Each sc^parate (H)mpartment l)eing assigned to a-
sj)ecial pm-pose. due regard is had to the proper distribution
of weights, to accessibility and to protection.
It will be observed that the coalbunkers are so arrangec
that, while being conveniently placed with regard to the nr
rooms, they, at the same time, offer a ct^rtain amount o
protecticm to the boilers and machinery. Tlie number o
openings in the protective deck is made as small as jiossible
20'
30-
40'
SO-
TS'
e
m
1
t
STOWACtE AND SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 157
hence such articles as are stowed below it should be placed
near one of these openings, or the articles should be of such
character as to be easily handled and transported. In a
properly designed war vessel no ballast should be neces-
sary, but in case it is needed, pigs of iron, of square or
rounded section, are used and are placed close down along
the vertical keel.
Fresh water is carried in tanks located on top of the pro-
tective deck and built into the hull of the vessel. Small
compartments are also sometimes used for this purpose.
The tanks are well coated with the best cement, and well
provided with all proper pipe connections to pumps etc., and
each tank is fitted with a water-tight scuttle, or manhole,
to give access for cleaning.
A study of the profile inboard shows that all magazines
and ammunition rooms are located below the protective
deck. Turpentine, alcohol and other highly inflammable
material are kept aft on the upper deck, whence they can
t^asily be thrown overboard in case of fire.
It will be observed that there is only one hold located
well forward. It is divided into the upper and lower hold
by the platform deck. In the lower hold, are stowed the
wet provisicms, such as pork, beef, pickles, vinegar, and
molasses. In the upper hold are stowed dry provisions, as
flour, sugar, beans, coflfee, etc. If it becomes necessary to
stow wet and dry provisions in the same hold, the wet pro-
visions form the lower tiers, and the dry provisions the
upper tiers.
Iron hanging racks are usually fitted under the beams of
the hold for the stowage of oars and lumber.
The chain lockers contain the ship's chain cables.
Hawsers and towlines are kept on reels on the gun or
berth deck and under the topgallant forecastle in vessels
that have them. Vessels with a superstructure deck and
using wire hawsers have them wound on the drums of the
reeling engines in the superstructure.
Vessels using triatic stays, and yard and stay tackles
usually stow them in the launches.
The danger from fire through the ignition of fumes from
volatile oils in closed places should be provided against in
their stowage. Cotton fabrics, waste, oil skins, or anj' thing
that tends to spontaneous combustion by oil soaking in it
should not be stowed in any closed place. All lime sliouhi
be slaked before being received on board.
The Navigator's store-room contains the spare flags, bunt-
ing, log and lead lines, boat binnacles, lamps, and lanterns,
signal halliard stuff and other articles known as navigator's
stores.
The Medical store-room contains the medical stores not
in actual use. Surgical instruments, and such medicines as
158 STOWA(;i: and sources of supply.
are ready for immediate use are kept in the dispensary and
sick bay.
In the Ordnance store-room are placed the spare articles
of gun gear and the belongings of the battery not usually
kept in the armory or ammunition rooms.
The Sail-rooms contain the spare sails, hammocks, wind
sails, cots, awnings, etc. In a ship having two sail-rooms
one is usually reserved for a complete suit of topsails, courses
and stormsails, ready to be passed up promptly.
The Paymaster's store-rooms contain the dry provisions,
clothing and small stores, and sometimes the more valuable
wet provisions, such as canned meats, etc.
Casks should be placed fore and aft, bung up, and dun-
nage (small pieces of wood) used under the chimes to pre-
vent shifting. The chimes of casks are the projections
beyond the head. The bilge of a cask is its largest circum-
ference.
The General store-room, or as it is sometimes called, the
Yeoman's store-room, is situated well forward. In it are
kept all the spare cordage, hooks, blocks, thimbles, ship's
stationery, spare canvas, spare brooms, squillgees, etc. In
fact all small spare articles for the use of the boatswain,
carpenter or sailmaker, are kept in this store-room.
The bread rooms contain th(^ supply of ship's bread.
NAVV DEPARTMENT.
The business of the Navy Department is '* distributed, in
such manner as the Secretary of the Navy shall judge to be
expedient and proper,'' among the following bureaus:
Tlie Rureaix of"if ax^clw sincl T><>eltH« The
duties of this bureau comprise all that relates to construc-
tion and maintenance of docks, slips, wharves, piers, and
buildings of all kinds within the limits of Navy Yards and
Stations, except at Newport and the Naval Academy.
The maintenance of the Naval Home is also under this
Bureau.
It repairs and requires for furniture for buildings at
Navy Yards.
It provides oxen, horses and teams at Navy Yards.
It has charge of all landings, derricks, shears, cranes,
sewers, dredging, railway tracks, cars, wheels, trucks, grad-
ing, paving, walks, shade trees, walls and fences, ditching,
res(Tvoir8, cisterns, fire engines and apparatus, etc., etc.
The 1 Jiiveaix of Eqviipmeiit, has to do with
all that relates to the equipment of ships according to the
allowance tables from time to time in force.
It has under its control the Ilydrographic oflBce, collec-
tion of foreign surveys ; publication and supply of charts,
sailing directions, nautical works ; and the dissemination of
■;--
CnrJa
(■>al
•tey D
re,-'
a3
/!:'
NA".
l\
I
STOWAGE AND SOURCES OP SUPPLY. 159
nautical and hydrographic information, electrical apparatus,
ships' libraries. Naval Observatory, Nautical Almanac, &c.
It has charge of the manufacture of ropes, anchors,
cables, rigging, sails, galleys, cooking utensils, and of the
installation and repair of all electric appliances on ship-
board. It defrays the expenses of pilotage of all ships m
commission, etc., etc.
The Bri.i*eaii. of iN'avig'atlon, is charged
with the promulgation, recording and enforcement of the
orders of tne Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the
Navy ; with all that relates to the education of oflScers and
men, including the Naval Academy and technical schools for
officers (except the war college and torpedo school), the ap-
prentice establishment and schools for the technical educa-
tion of enlisted men, the enlistment and discharge of all
enlisted persons, and with the preparation of estimates for
the pay of all oflBcers and enlisted men.
This bureau has under its directions all rendezvous, re-
ceiving ships, transportation for men. It establishes the
complements of ships, it keeps the records of service of all
squadrons, ships, officers and men, and the preparation, re-
vision and enforcement of naval tactics, drill books, signal
books, regulations regarding uniforms, etc., etc.
!Oxix*ea.ii of Ordance^ duties consist of all that
relates to the torpedo station, magazines on shore, manufac-
ture of arms, ammunition, and war explosives (including tor-
.pedoes). It requires for, or manufactures, all machinery,
apparatus, equipment, material, and supplies necessary for
use with the above.
It recommends the armament to be carried by all armed
vessels, the material, kind and quality of the armor, size
and thickness of turrets.
This bureau superintends the installation of the arma-
ment and its accessories on board ship ai\d the methods of
stowing and handling ammunition and torpedoes, including
the construction of ammunition rooms, ammunition hoists
and armories, etc., etc.
13ix]:*e£ivi of CoiiHti*xxction and Ifcepair,
takes cognizance of all that relates to designing, building,
fitting and repairing the hulls of ships, turrets, spars, cap-
stans, windlasses, steering gear and ventilating apparatus ;
care and preservation of ships in reserve. This bureau also
places and secures on board, the armor, armament and its
accessories, in accordance with the requirements of the
Bureau of Ordnance. It has charge of the operating and
cleaning of dry docks, and the docking of all ships, etc., etc.
The 13n.reaix of Steaiix Eixprii^eefingr-i
concerns itself with all that relates to designing, building,
fitting out, and repairing the steam machinery used for the
propulsion of Government ships, the steam pumps, steam
160 STOWA(iE AND SOl'KC'ES i)7 SUPPLY.
heaters, distilling apparatus, all steam connection of ships,,
and the steam mac^hinery necessary for actuating the ap-
paratus by which the turrets are turned.
<*<>ii.i:itH9 deals with whatever relates to requiring for, or
]»7ej)aring, provisions, clothing, small stores, fresh water for
drinking and cooking purposes, and contingent stores of the
pay department; the purchase of all supplies for the naval
establishment, except nu^dicines, surgical appliances and
instruments, and supplies for the marine corps. It is, at
shore stations within the United States, charged with the
transfer of all stores and supplies, and their reception, care,
custody and issue when authorized, etc., etc.
The Hiiveii.li <>t" >I!eclieiiie »iicl Hixi*-
fS^^*y9 has all that relates to laboratories, naval hospitals,
and dispensaries; and all medical supplies, medicines and
instruments used in the medical department of the Navy.
The several bureaus retain the charge and custody
of the books of records and accounts pertaining to their
respective duti(»s ; and they estimate for, and defray
from their own funds the amounts necessary to carry
out their duties as above define<l. Each bureau has con-
trol of the organization and mustia* of its own employes,
etc., etc.
The Navy Regulations define fully the relations of the
bureaus to each other.
Tlie T>iitiejs <>1" tlie •Fiiclgr^^ Advocate
Cirefiei^al ol'tlie IXtiv^ tii'e, to prepare all the
necessary papers for, revise and report upon, the proceed-
ings of courts-martial, courts of inquiry, and boards for the
examination of officers for retirement and promotion, in all
cases where such courts or boards are convened by order of
the Secretary of the Navy ; and to prepare general orders
for the promulgation of the findings of the same; to ex-
amine and report upon claims of every description filed in
the Department; to conduct the departmental correspond-
ence relating to all business connected with the increase of
the Navy, such as bids, contracts, specifications, etc. ; to
conduct all the legal business pertaining to the Navy De-
l)artment, and all correspondence relating to same when
any point is referred to the Attorney-General; and to an-
swer all calls from the Department of Justice and Court of
Claims for information and papers relating to cases con-
nected with the Navy Department, etc., etc.
'Kstyry "Vai*<l Oi*g*aiiizatiori. The Command-
ing Officer is the senior line officer attached to the yard, and
is known as the Commandant of the Yard. All communi-
cations relating to work from the different bureaus go to
him, and he is responsible for the execution of such orders.
Ships in commission at a Navy Yard for any purpose are,
STOWAGE AND SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 161
from arrival until departure, under the command of the
Commandant.
The Captain of the Yard is the next line officer in rank.
He is the executive officer of the station, and acts for the
CommandaLnt in his absence. He has the general adminis-
tration of the Yard, watchmen, police force, tugs, fire bri-
gade, vessels in reserve, and the mooring and unmooring
of vessels. He is the representative of the Bureau of Yards
and Docks, the civil engineer attached to the yard being
charged with the special duties of this bureau.
There are also attached to a Yard, officers representing
the other bureaus, who have charge of the stores and work
in which the several bureaus are directly concerned.
The custody, transfer, and issue of all supplies, and the
record of all property and plants at Navy Yards and sta-
tions come under the supervision of the Bureau of Sup-
plies and Accounts ; the Paymaster representing this bureau
is known as the General Storekeeper. In order to obtain
any article a requisition is made on the General Store-
keeper through the Commandant of the Yard and, if ap-
proved by him, the General Storekeeper will be ordered to.
furnish it.
Medical outfits for ships in commission are furnished
from the Naval Laboratory at New York. Reference to an
allowance book will show under which bureau any article
comes.
The following partial lists give a general idea of the
articles supplied under the separate bureaus :
!Ejqn.ipme]nt* Ground tackle, cordage, sails, awn-
ings, hammocks, and sailmaker*s stores; all mess outfits,
such as table linen, crockery, plated ware, etc., galleys
and cooking utensils ; coal and wood for steaming or cook-
ing purposes.
The electric plant and outfit is supplied by the Bureau of
Elquipment; the Navigator, however, is in charge of the
electric plant and outfit on board ship. All stores used by
the Navigator, such as charts, chronometers, books, com-
passes, etc. , come under the Equipment officer who transfers
them to the Navigator. On board ship the boatswain, car-
penter and sailmaker have special charge of the equipment
stores in their own department, under the direction of the
Executive Officer who is the Equipment Officer of the ship.
C?oi:iHti*ii.etioi:i a^ncl H^epair* : Blocks, break-
ers, boats, boat spars, balsas, casks, chests, capstans, dead-
eyes, mastfishes, spare spars, lumber, caulking material,
carpenter's tools, mattresses, pillows, fixed furniture in offi-
cers' quarters, paint, oars, rowlocks, turpentine, varnish.
On board ship the carpenter has general charge of the
construction stores under the Executive Officer who makes
out all requisitions for articles under Constructiou.
162 STOWAGE AND SOURCES OF SUPPLY.
Oi^clnance Stoi*e« s Guns, small arms, and ac-
coutrements, all kinds of ammunition and means for hand-
ling same; all tools, appliances, oils, etc., for the working
of the ship's battery.
All equipments for the magazines and atnmunition
rooms ; spare parts and material for repairs to the arma-
ment of the vessel; torpedoes and their appurtenances.
The gunner is the warrant officer in immediate charge of
the ordnance stores. The navigator is the ordnance officer
of the ship and is responsible for all ordnance stores.
Stestm E^iig'iiieer*i]iLg;' : Boilers, engines and all
their appurtenances. All firing tools, implements and ap-
pliances in fire and boiler-rooms, and about the engines.
All material for the cleaning, repairing and running of all
machinery. Stores in this department are furnished on
requisitions made by the Chief Engineer, and are expended
under his direction.
I^a^^iiiaHtei-^H Storew s Include clothing and
small stores; such as buttons, thread, needles, knives,
scissors, tobacco, soap, etc., for the crew; provisions, wet
and dry, and the tools, stationary, etc. , that are necessary
for use in the Pay Department.
The Paymaster is the purchasing officer of the ship, the
stores purchased by him being invoiced to the head of the
department under whom they come. Thus requisitions for
water are made by the pay officer, and when received the
water is invoiced to the equipment officer.
IVIeclieal Storen s Include medicines, surgical in-
struments, and other appliances for the use of the surgeon,
as well as provisions for the sick and wounded. The
medical outfit is in charge of the senior medical officer of
the vessel.
CHAPTER XIII.
BOATS.
There are three different methods of building boats,
namely : —
1st. The Oarvel-l:>vxilt5 which have fore-and-aft
planks, the edges meeting but not overlapping.
2d. The CJliiilier-l>xiilt, also fore-and-aft planks,
with the edges overlapping each other, like shingling.
3d. The Di£ig'oiia.l-l>v].ilt, having, as the name
implies, their planking running diagonally, the inside
planks running in a contrary direction to the outside ones,
and their edges meeting.
Bo£itH are single or double hanked, as they have one
or two rowers to a thwart.
The seats for the crew of a boat are called the thwarts ;
the strips runnine fore-and-aft, on which the thwarts
rest, the rising ; the space abaft the af terthwart, the stem-
sheets, and forward of the foremost thwart, the fore-sheets ;
the spaces in the wash-streaJk for the oars, the rowlocks.
The frames, knees, hooks, stem and stem posts of boats
are generally of oak, and the planking of cedar.
Oaris are made of ash. The flat part of an oar which
is dipped in the water is called the blade, and that which is
inboard is termed the loom, the extremity of which, being
small enough to be grasped by the hand, is called the
handle.
The oars are said to be double-banked when there are
two men rowinc^ at each oar.
Oars should be neatly marked by the carpenter, and the
men not allowed to deface the looms.
In the navy, boats are classed as follows :
Steam launches and steam cutters, frequently built of
iron or steel.
Sailing launches, barges, cutters, whale-boats, gigs, and
dingies, built of wood.
To Find tlie AVei^lit of lioatsis, multiply
the square of the breadth by the length, and that product
for a launch, by 2.5 ; first cutter, by 1.9 ; quarter boats, bv
1,0^ second cutter, by 1.4 ; stem boat, by 1.0. Answer will
be m pounds.
16.3
104 BOATS.
Boat Itlciiiipmeiith«* Before entering upon the
detail of a boat's outfit, the following articles may be men-
tioned as indispensable at all times to every boat, viz. :
1st. The plug.
2d. A breaker of water, and breaker stand.
3d. A rudder which cannot be lost if unshipped, without
cutting the rope by which it is secured.
4th. The boat-hooks and the oars, or the sails and spars
or both.
oth. A bailer.
The plug should be secured to the keelson by a good
laniard. The water breaker should have the bung fitted
with a spigot, or faucet, and laniard and the bunghole with
a leather lip. If a steering oar is used instead of a rudder,
it should ship in a patent crutch, narrowing at the top, from
which the oar cannot be disengag^ed without hauling it
through, loom first, until the blade is even with the crutch
opening.
Rudders are usually supplied with the pjintles of equal
length. It will save a great deal of trouble if a small piece
of tne upper pintle is cut off. Otherwise, if there should be
occasion to unship the rudder, it will be very difficult to
ship it again in muddy water, or with any motion on the
boat, since both pintles have to be pointed at once if of the
same length.
A good substitute for the old fashioned pintle is found in
a metal rod of sufficient length secured to the stern of the
boat. The gudgeons are slotted on one side in order to
allow the rudder to slij) over and to slide up and down the
rod. To ship the rudder put it hard over, ship the gudgeons
over the rod, slide the rudder dow^n until in position, when
a recess between the rod and the stern of the boat permits
the gudgeons to turn freely around the rod, and at the same
time prevents vertical motion of the rudder.
In addition to the complete set of oars, there should be
two spare oars, triced up under the thwarts. A painted can-
vas sail cover is usually provided for the sails.
Next to the above-mentioned articles may be enumerated
the following as important in the ordinary outfit of a boat,
namely : a full set of stretchers, a set of boat-hooks, a good
arrangement for hoolriig on. set of fendvrs, awning stanch-
ion-'>. tiller, yoke and lines. tari)auliiis, awnings with bag.
boat cover with lashings, curtains for carrying arms, back-
board, gratings, rowlocks, flag-staff. Life-boats, in addition,
should be fitted with an approved detaching outfit, copper
air tanks in each end, a steering swivel, and sea painters.
Boom irons, windlass, windlass bars, well pipe or funnel,
and rowlocks or thole-pins and grommets should be fitted
to sailing launches. A short and a long (stout) painter for
towing or mooring are also required.
BOATS. 165
If the lower blocks are to be close to the stem and stern
of the boat, it is essential that the ring, shackle, ball-toggle
or other arrangement used, shall permit the lower block to
be above the gunwale of the boat and clear of it. This
avoids fouling, which is always objectionable and may be
dangerous.
Additional when at sea : Gripes, Fig. 399, fitted with slip-
hooks ; a boat-rope leading from the fore chains and secured
to the boat's bows ; life-lines hanging from the boat-davit
span, the supply-box provided for By tne Ordnance Manual,
and, when hoisting in a sea-way, two small spars to act as
skids in keeping the boat clear of the chains, &c.
A boat binnacle is to be kept trimmed and at hand ready
for any boat requiring it.
At least one Doat in every ship should be a good surf or
life-boat, and fitted for lowering and hoisting with extra-
ordinary expedition. In this connection, it may be men-
tioned that tne life-buoys should be of the most approved
pattern, and that the contrivance for letting them go and
firing them should be frequently examined and tested.
Boats should have their own recall, and the comet, and
general recall, painted on a piece of tin and tacked in some
secure place, not the backboard.
The minutiae of boat outfits for various kinds of service
will be found in the Ordnance Manual.
Lowering" a^ncl HoiHting- (underway or in
tideways). For lowering, boats' falls snould be kept in
separate racks, and always clear. A boat should not be
lowered while the ship has stern wav ; on the contrary, it
is better if the vessel oe going ahead. Should the boat get
under the bows, there is danger in a sea-way of her being
cut in two or stove by the dolphin-striker.
In a quarter or stern-boat tne after-tackle should be un-
hooked first, particularly when going ahead or in a tide-
way, otherwise the boat may wind and be swamped.
On lowering a stem-boat in a tide-way, the moment the
keel touches the water the boat is swept astern, and the
falls so tautened that they cannot be unhooked without
much diflScultv. If when the boat is hoisted we hook a
stout runner, fitted for the purpose, haul taut and belay it,
and unhook the regular tackles; then when the boat is low-
ered the runner can be allowed to unreeve instantaneously.
and the boat is swept clear of the ship at once, or swings to
her painter previously made fast.
When about to lower a boat, see the line from forward
made fast, put the plug in, ship the rudder (if not perma-
nently shipped), let the men in the boat hold on to tne life-
lines, and keep the steadying lines fast until the boat is in
the water.
For hoisting^ the boat should be hauled up, a careful
hand steering, or dropped from the line forward and the
166 BOATS.
forward tackle hooked first. It is very important that theso
tackles should have their lower blocks so made that they
will not capsize. When the tackles are hooked the men
should keep the blocks up so that they cannot unhook, by
holding up the parts of the fall. Steadying lines should he
used in a sea-waj;, leading in through the ports and well
attended, with which to bind the boat, as she rises, against
the skids ; the life-lines should be crossed and the boat-rope
from forward tended. Send all but four hands out and
hoist away. When the boat is up, pass the bight of the
stopper through the slings — the short chain-spans which go
from the ring-bolt in the stem and stern-post to keelson — or
through the ring-bolts and over the davit-end twice, and
hitch Def ore attempting to belay the fall.
For hoisting quarter-boats in a sea-way, there is nothing
like jack-stays irom the davits to set up to the bends at
the water-line. A lizard is fitted to each, which travels up
and down. With these, catch a turn around the thwarts,
and the boat may be run up, clear of the side, without
trouble.
Pass the gripes round the boat clear of turns. Have
squaring marks put on the falls, so that she may alwavs
hang square from the davits, and in port, level with tne
rail. It there be no scuttle which opens of itself, take the
plug out the moment the boat leaves the water. Make fast
the Doat-rope from forward to the bows of the boat, stop it
up to the chains with a split yarn. See that the fenders are
in, fill the water-breaker, and if the weather be hot, put the
cover or awning on square and smooth during the day,
taking it off at ni^ht.
In a stern-boat in a tide-way, o: ship going ahead, do not
attempt to haul across the sttrn, but hook both falls with
the boat lying fore and aft, hoist on the forward fall until
the boat is about two-thirds out of water, then round in
steadily on the after fall and the boat will come up without
difficulty. In this case one man can easily keep the boat
off the rudder or the stern of the ship.
Much trouble in rounding up or overhauling down boats'
falls is avoided by hooking the lower blocks to eye-bolts in
the ship's side near the heel of the davit or to small beckets
worked around the davits.
I-Ia.nd.lins' WoatK ixnclc^i* Oai*K, The follow-
ing orders are used by officers or others in charge of boats.
A cutter, for example, is supposed to be lying alongside,
properly manned, and ready to shove off :
Give the order: Up Oars!
The crew, with the exception of the bowmen, seize their
E roper oars, and, watching the stroke oarsman, raise them
riskly to the vertical, simultaneously, holding them thus
directly to their centre fronts, blades fore-and-aft, those on
starboard side with right hand, those on port side with left
BOATS. 167
hand, down and grasping handles; the oars to be held by
the hands alone, 7iot resting on the bottom of the boat; the
men face square aft, and pay strict attention to the cox-
swain.
Bowmen stand up, facing forwards, and attend the
painter or heaving-line, or handle boat-hooks, as case may
require. (They snould not raise their oars until the order
" Let fall has been executed.)
In a sea-way, or strong tid.e-way, the after-oarsmen do
not raise their oars at this command, but assist with boat-
hooks in shoving off, and raise their oars together and
before the order " Let fall."
At command :
Shove off!
Bowmen cast off" painter or heaving line, handle boat-
hooks, and shove the bow clear by a vigorous shove, the
coxswain seeing that the ensign-staff and quarter go clear
of gangwav.
When tne boat is sufficiently clear of the ship or wharf,
the order is given :
Let fall !
The oars are to be eased doivn into the rowlocks simul-
taneously, and leveled. The blades should not be allowed
to splash in the water. The fenders are then taken in, and
the starboard stroke-oarsman gives the stroke. As the
style of the stroke depends upon the after-oarsmen, they
should be the best men in the boat.
In double-banked boats each man is responsible for the
proper handling of his own fender. In single-banked boats
1^0. 2 takes in and throws out the fender of No. 1, No. 3
that of No. 2, &c.
(The boat can now be pointed in the desired direction
by directing the proper oars to be backed or given way
upon. )
The bowmen, having shoved the boat clear, turn aft,
take their seats, and lay in their boat-hooks together, and,
having hauled in and coiled down the painter, if adrift,
seize their oars, and, looking at each other, throw the
blades over the bows, in line with the keel, simultaneously ;
when the looms and handles are ^rasped, the oars are raised
vertically together, and droppea simultaneously into the
rowlocks. When the boat is properly pointed, the coxswain
commands :
Give way together !
The starboard after-oar gives the stroke, the others
follow him. Each oar should be lifted as high as the
^nwale, and feathered by dropping the wrist until the
blade is flat. When the blade is thrown forward as far as
the rowlock will admit, it is then dropped into the water,
easily and without splashing. (Rowing hand over hand, or
from the shoulder alone, should never be permitted.)
108 BOATS.
()n approaching the desired place of landing, the boat
being properly pointed, at the mom(*nt the oars are leaving
the water the coxswain commands :
In hows!
The bowmen, closely regarding each other's motions,
take one stroke, and tossing their oars simultaneously, raise
them vertically, lightly touching the blades together, letting
them fall into the boat together, in line with the keel, with-
out unnecessarj noise, and pass the handles underneath
the oars still m motion, taking care that their oars are
**boated." They then seize their boat-hooks, face forward,
and, standing up, hold their boat-hooks vertically.
When witn sufficient headway to reach the desired place
of landing, the command is given :
Way enough !
As before, the command is given while the oars are in
the water. . The crew, regarding the motions of the stroke-
oarsman, finish the uncompleted stroke, give one full stroict^
additional, and toss their oars simultaneously, raise them to
a vertical position^ and lay them easily and without noise
into the boat, in line with the keel. The oars to be so placed
in the boat that they can be readily resumed by the crev^\
the stroke oars to be placed nearest the gunwale, and tli
others in succession.
The oars bein^ boated, the stroke oarsmen handle their
boat-hooks, keeping their seats, and assist the bowmen in
bringing the boat to the landing.
After boating the oars, the fenders are thrown out.
In saluting passing boats, or in stopping to hail, or to
check headway, it may become necessary to lay on the
oars ; to do this, conmnand —
Stand by to lay on your oars !
At this the men pay strict attention for the command —
Oars !
which is given while the oars are in the water, the stroke is
finished and the blades of the oars are feathered and raised
simultaneously as high as the gunwale, where they are
firmly held in lines parallel to each other— on no account
fire the oars to be permitted to touch the water or to be
thrown out of line.
At the order —
Give Way!
the pulling is resumed, each man regarding the stroke-oars,
and taking the stroke from them.
To toss oars, the command is given —
Stand by to Toss !
At the conmiand —
Toss !
which is given while the oars are in the water, the stroke is
completed, and the oars then thrown up to a vertical nosi-
tion simultaneously, blades fore and aft, each oar is neld
BOATS. 1 69
square to the front of the man holding it — on line with the
centre of the body.
In going alongside of a strange or foreign vessel to de-
liver a message or order, requiring but a few moments to
give or execute, and particularly when it is desired to keep
the crew at their thwarts, it is recommended to give the
order Toss^ rather than Way enough I The crew to keep
their oars up while the duty is performed by the midshipman
in charge. The bowmen being the only men in this case,
who ** boat their oars."
To trail, give the command —
Stand by to Trail!
Trail !
At the second order the oar is to be thrown out of the
rowlock, and allowed to trail alongside, either by the trail
line or by holding it by the handle.
To stop the boat's headway, order :
Oars !
Followed by —
Hold Water!
And if necessary —
Stem all !
At the first order, lay on the oars as directed ; at the
second, drop the blades in the water to check the headway ;
and at the third, pull backward, keeping stroke with the
after-oars. The oars should not be dropped into the water
too suddenly, lest they get broken.
To turn a boat suddenly, order, Oive way starboard (or
port), ftocfc port (or starboard), Oars! Both backing and
pulhn^ oars should always keep stroke with the stroke oar
of their own side, all oars taking and leaving the water
together.
The following are given as the indications of a good
stroke :
1. Taking the whole reach forward and falling back
gradually a little past the perpendicular, preserving the
shoulders throughout square, and the chest developed to
the end.
2. Catching the water with the lower edge of the blade
inclined forward, and beginning the stroke with a full
tension on the arms at the instant of contact.
3. A horizontal and dashing pull through the water as
soon as the blade is covered, without ever dipping more
than the blade.
4. Quick recovery after feathering, the arms oemg
thrown forward perfectly straight at the same time as the
body, the forward motion of arms and body ceasing together.
5. Equability in all the motions.
SculUng with a single oar should be taught.
^Boat-idg-m, Plate 84. Men-of-war boats are usually
rigged as follows : Launches are sloop-rigged, with a jib and
1 70 BOATS.
mainsail. Cutters and Whale-boats are rigged either with
two sliding gunter-sails or two lu<5-sails; the former boats
have a jib m addition.
A sliding ^nter-mast, Fig. 401a, consists of two sections,
nearly equal m length, called the lowermast and topmast ;
the latter slides upon the former, and is held in position by
means of two metal rings secured to the topmast near its
lower end. The topmast is on the after siae of the lower
mast. The sail is bent to the topmast aila to metal hoops on
the lower mast. Make sail by noisting the topmast, which
carries the head of the sail with it, hauling aft the sheet.
The mainsail has a boom.
The rig is objected to for large boats, on account of the
diflSculty of handling and stowing the spar and sail, which
are made up together.
Lug-sails are either standiiuj lugs, three-quarter lugs or
dipping lugs.
The halliards of a standing lug, Fig. 402, are bent to the
vard a little inside of the forward end ; the tack hooks, or is
lashed, abaft the mast.
The halliards of a three-quarter lug, Fig. 403, are bent
to the yard at one-fourth of its length from the forward end,
the tack hooks a short distance forward of the mast to an
eye in the fore-and-aft batten.
In a boat having two such lug-sails, it is customary to
hoist the yards on opposite sides of their respective masts,
and not to dip them, ^ut if it is desired to dip, the sail is
lowered a short distance, tack unhooked, taken round the
mast and hooked again, while the fortvard end of the yard
is dipped around by hauling down upon the luflf of the sail.
The halliards lead forward.
A regular dipping lug, Fig. 404, has the halliards bent at
a point two-fifths of the length of the yard from its forward
end, the tack hooks well forward of the mast, there being
an eye-bolt for the fore tact on either bow.
In tacking or wearing with this rig, the after yard arm
must be dipped around the mast from aft forward. This is
done in tacking, as follows : the wind being on the (former)
lee bow, one hand lowers the halliards iust enough to let the
after yardarm go round the mast. This ensures plenty of
back sail forward where needed, and as little slacK sail as
possible on top of the men. One hand forward bears the
fore part of the sail out, the next two gather the clew of the
sail forward and pass it around the mast, one hand aft un-
hooks the sheet as soon as the sail lifts, and rehooks when
the clew is passed aft again. Balance of crew hand along
the foot of the sail and assist in rehoisting. Shift fore tact
to the weather bow.
In wearing, dip just before the wind is aft, rehoist when
wind is on tne otner quarter. Do not allow the sails to
gybe, and keep the halliards to windward.
BOATS. 17t
In this connection may be mentioned the split lug. Fig.
405, generally used in British galleys (gigs), which have but
one mast. The yard is slung at two-fifths its length from
the forward end, as in case of tlie dipping lu^, the sail is
split in the wake of the mast, and furnished with a lacing,
also with a second tack-lashing, or hook, for the after portion
of the sail. Fitted in this manner, when the lacing is passed
the sail is simply w dipping lug. With the lacing unrove
and the after tacK secured, the after part of the sau is used
as a standing lug, the forward part (fitted with a temporary
sheet) acts as a ]ib. The latter form of the rig is convenient
in beating ; the use of a jib-stay is avoided.
Dingies and gigs are usually supplied with sprit-sails — the
latter boats may also have a jib. The upper end of a sprit is
placed in a grommet at the peak of a sail, while the lower
end ships in another grommet on the mast.
>raHtN should step in boxes and clamp to the thwart ;
clamp to be abaft the foremast and forward of the main-
mast. The awkward and dangerous practice of stepping
masts through a hole in the fore-and-aft batten, usually
the flimsiest piece of material in the boat, cannot be too
strongly condemned.
The British service rig includes an ingenious device
(De Horsey's) for stepping the foremast. A stout fore-and-
aft piece is ntted forward, with a slit through its centre
equal in length to the distance from the heel of the mast to
the partners, and in width somewhat greater than the
diameter of the mast. The mast is fitted with trunnions,
one on each side, resting on the after part of the fore-and-
aft piece. In stepping, the mast pivots fore and aft on
these trunnions. As the head goes forward and up, the heel
sinks into its step, where it is confined by a pawl^ which is
fitted with a safety key that locks it after the heel is in
place. Fig. 397, Plate 83.
With this rig the mast is stepped or unstepped in a mo-
ment. To take the mast out of the boat, unkey the cap
squares of the trunnions.
The mainmast in this case is fitted in the usual way
-with a box and clamp, the fore being given the easier rig on
account of its situation, which renders it more difficult to
handle.
Before stepping see that the halliards are rov(» and that
nothing will be required aloft. Never send a incin aloft on
the masts if halliards unreeve. Unstep the mast and rectify
matters in that way. , ^ xi.
H^igglng. The masts being stepped, set up the
shrouds equaUy and for a full due. Do not tamper with
lee shrouds when sailing, to "set them up." If they are
hove taut in a stiflE breeze, the next tack will probably result
in your wrenching the head of the mast oflE.
JtlAlliards stnd Dovrn-liaixln. The yard of a
172 BOATS.
lug-sail hooks to an iron traveler on the mast; the hauling
end of the halliards shouhi have an eve in its end, to be
placed over the hook of the traveler before hoisting, and
used as a down-haul.
Set a jib before setting the foresail. The jib being the
fore-stay, if the foresail is set first the mast-head is dragged
aft and the after leach will be slack. If obliged to set the
foresail first, ease the fore-sheet while hoisting the jib, and
let the head of the foremast go to its place. See the jib
tack well out to the bowsprit end before noisting.
i^£iilN. Do not stretch the head of boat sails in bend-
ing them, unless they are bent when wet. Bring them to
the yards and galffs barely hand taut, to allow for shrinkage
when damp, or the fit or the sail will be spoiled. See the
yards slung so that the sails will set smoothly.
Hoat Sa^ilingr* Make all the men who are not
shoving: the boat off sit down. ''Shove ojf," " in fenders.''
In shoving off when the ship is not head to wind, pull clear
of her before making sail. If the ship is broaoside to a
steady breeze you may make sail from the lee gangway,
but look out for flaws.
Ship being head to wind, ^ive the order, ''Stand by to
make sail r See halliards manned, lee sheets aft, brails
tended : then •" Shore offr •' Hoist the jib:' then the foresail.
If intending to sail on the wind, "hoist the ma i nsai l'- ai<
soon as the boat is clear. If bound to leeward, let the boat
pay off first to her course, then ** hoist the maiusailS' ** ease
off fore and jib sheets,^' anil proceed.
if you want a pull on the halliards, slack the sheet : if
the fore, check the main sheet at the same time.
Have the halliards coiled clear for running ; do not
allow the crew to stand on the thwarts or move about in
the boat, nor the coxswain to let go the helm, as is some-
times done to get a pull of the main sheet, &c. Bv this
thoughtless practice a boat may be taken aback and cap-
sized. See tnat the weights are kept amidships and that
all sheets are tended, not belayed.
If running and about to round to, remember that you
cannot carry all the sail on a wind that you can before it,
and reduce m consequence beforehand.
Running dead to leeward in a single-masted boat (gig)
is dangerous. It is preferable to carry the wind a little on
one quarter for half the distance, then haul aft the sheet,
lower, shift the sail around, and head for your destination
with the wind on the other quarter. Never go wing and
wing if ther(^ is any sea on, or if the wind is unsteady iii
direction.
If your men are all sitting to windward in a breeze, make
them take their proper places befcu'e passing to leeward of
a vessel.
BOATS. 173
Steerifigr and TTi'lmtniiig- Itoa.tN'. The
"rule of the road" and the remarks about handling ship
apply equally to a boat. See Chapter XIX.
Putting tne rudder right across the stem deadens the
way : 42** is considered the extreme of efficiency.
When there is no way on, or when the boat is tied by
the stem — as in towing, when the tow-line is fast to the
wrong place, the stem ring-bolt — the rudder has no effect
whatever.
Always endeavor, either by trimming sails or disposition
oi weights, to reduce the boat to a " small helm," for when
tlie rudder is dragged much across the stern the way is
retarded. Weather helm will be induced by allowing the
boat to be pressed by the head, and this may be caused by
the bowmen sitting forward, or by press of sail, or both.
If the bows are clear, a pull on the jib sheet miqht relieve
the helm, but not as a matter of course ; for if the lib was
already flat, it might be the cause of depression, and a few
inches checked would perhaps answer the purpose. Then
the main sheet might be the cause, and an inch of that
sheet might be the remedy. But it will be of no* use to
attempt trimming until the sails are taut up and well set ;
and then the officer in command can make his alteration of
trim, until the boat may be so nicely balanced that, by
sending the bowmen forward and letting go the tiller, she
will go about of herself.
If the bow is deep and the stem light of draught, the
former is not so easily blown from the wind as the latter.
If, on the contrary, the stem be deeo, and the bow light,
the bow is readily thrown to leeward by the conjoint action
of wind and sea. In the first of these cases — supposing the
sail to be well balanced — ^the boat would carry weather
helm ; in the last, lee helm ; but in either, her way would
be more or less diminished. The drag of cross hehn mieht
be decreased by reducing sail at one of the extremities, but
at the expense of speed ; whereas, by trimming weights, all
sail might be carried, and speed increased.
Use water in breakers for ballast.
Taclcing-. Having previously described the method
of dii>ping lugs, let us assume the boat to be a cutter fitted
with jib and sliding gunters. Keep a good full for stays,
then ^^ Ready about,, the helm is easea down, then ^^ease
off the jib sheet I" if the boat is a slow worker and does not
come to readily, otherwise the jib sheet may be kept fast.
Haul the main-boom handsomely amidships. When head
to wind shift over the fore sheet, be careful not to make a
back sail of the foresail. Bear the jib out to windward to
assist in paying the boat's head around. When the jib has
paid the head off sufficiently to fill the foresail, " draiv jib,''
nauling aft the jib and fore sheet, right the helm, haul aft
the mam sheet.
'174 BOATS.
If the boat gathers stern-board shift the helm; get out
^an oar on the lee bow to bring her head around, or let all
the crew that are in the after part of the boat place them-
selves on the (old) weather quarter, the boat will then pay
oflf the right way, owing to the pressure of the water bemg
more on tne immersed quarter tnan the other.
Thus, if the boat is head to wind and her bow ought to
Eay oflf to starboard, send the men who are aft to the star-
oard quarter, their weight depressing that quarter, the bow
will pay oflf as desired.
Men-of-war boats fitted with but one sail (unless a split
lug) should not attempt to beat to windward.
In working to windward among shipping, or in a harbor,
if there is any doubt of your weathering a particular object,
it is always safest to tack. In luflSng up for a '* half board '*
a boat quickly loses her way and becomes for the time being
unmanageable. This would probably result in your fouling
the danger you have tried to avoid.
A^'^eai'ingr. Put the helm up, **ease off the main
sheet ^^ ! or, in a fresh breeze, ^^ brail up the main-saiV^ !
Slack oflf the fore and jib sheets as she goes oflf ; when the
wind is well on the quarter, ''shift over the fore sheet ^^ ;
with the wind on the new weather quarter set the main-
sail, or, ''haul aft the main sheet,*' then the fore; when
nearly by the wmd, haul aft the jib sheet and right the
helm.
Instead of lowering the main-sail altogether, it is suflS-
cient to ** brail up,^^ hauling aft the sheet again as soon as
the sail will take on the new tack.
XJnclei* Sail slticL Oai*K, When the wind fails,
get out oars and keep the boat under oars and sail as long as
the latter are of any assistance. If the breeze freshens
again, lay in at least the lee oars to avoid catching crabs and
splitting the gunwale. When the weather oars barely
strike the water, in consequence of the boat's inclination, it
is time to lay them in also. Ship rowlock shutters, if used.
lleiiv^ifio-to. Put the helm down, haul the main-
boom well over amidships, the jib-sheet to windward, brail
up the fore-sail.
Xl/eeliiig-, Before reefing, tell oflf the men for the
diflferent duties ; if using lug sails, two men forward haul
down on the luflf of the sail and shift the tack, one hand by
the halliards, one at the downhaul, one to tend the sheet,
the rest tie the points and shift the sheet-block at the clew.
Do not luflf, check the sheets, lower enough to tie the points,
hauling in the fore-sheet so that the men can get at the foot
of the sail without peaching over the lee gunwale ; shift the
tack and sheets and tie the points ; slack the sheet, hoist
and haul aft.
Hoist the foresail first, or if the mainsail be first hoisted,
check its sheet till the boat has headway, or she will get in
BOATS. 175
the wind and lose time. Reef a sliding gunter in the same
way, except that there is no need of a downhaul, nor of
hauling down upon the luflf of the sail.
In reefing, do not roll up the foot of the sail snugly ; it
holds more water than when the sail is loosely tiea up by
the points.
Always be&dn to reef when the boat commences to bury
her lee gunwale or shows signs of being crank.
In reefing, or performing any of the evolutions described,
nobody needs to stand up. Good boatmen never jump
about on the thwarts, or show more than their heads above
the gunwale.
i5$Qii.£ills. Sailing on a wind, in moderate squalls,
ease tne sheets enough to relieve the boat, keep enough
steerage-way to bring her promptly into the wind if the
squall increases.
When caught in a hard and sudden squall, put the helm
down at once, let fly the fore-sheet : and as such squalls fre-
quently veer more or less, lower the sail ; for if it catches
aback there would be difficulty in getting it down, danger
and sternway from keeping it hoisted.
Sailing with the wind abeam, if a squall comes up.
receive it with the sheets flowing and halliards clear for
nmning.
The squall increasing in violence, brail up the mainsail,
up helm, and if need be, lower and reef the foresail.
If obliged to run before a very fresh breeze, use a reefed
foresail, but in any case carry enough sail to keep ahead of
the sea.
An empty breaker, or spar towed astern, will much
diminish the danger of being pooped.
CsLXJLglkt in SL Gra.le« If blown out to sea, or
otherwise unable to reach the ship in a gale of wind, lash
Jour spars, sails, and all but half a dozen oars, together,
lake a span of the heaviest rope available. Bend the spaii
to the opposite ends of the largest spar, bend the end of
your painter to the span and launch the spars overboard :
the longer the scope the easier the boat will ride, to the
breakwater thus formed. The sails should be loosed on at-
taching their yards to the spars, they will thus contribute
greatly to breaking the sea. If weights be fastened to the
clews the boat's drift will be much retarded.
Oa.pHizing'. As a rule, remain bv the boat — she will
assist those that cannot swim to keep afloat, and those who
can swim may, with the aid of the boat, render valuable
oc fit fl^ An {* ^
rraking- in Sail. To take in the jib, foresail bein^
set, slack the tack and gather in the sail on the foot, lower
the halliards. If the foresail is not set, lower the halliards
first, gather in on the after leech and foot ; when down, let
go the tack.
170 BOATS.
To take in a lug-sail, check the sheet, haul down on the
(lownhaul and luff of the sail at the same time ; do not haul
on the after leech, as it causes the fore-part of the sail to
fill and the traveler to bind against the mast.
With sliding gunter sails, Idwer the halliards, then brail up.
Caroing" a.long'Hicle. If under oars, a fresh breeze
blowing, pull, as a rule, for the lee gangway. Boat the
oars instead of tossing them, whether going or coming,
whenever there is any considerable motion, as they are apt
to take under chains, ports or other projections from ships
or wharves.
If under sail in a fresh breeze, always get down the
masts before coming alongside. Round to ahead, down
masts, out oars, and drop down ; or shoot up under the stern,
and down masts before getting under the quarter boats.
Ship head to wind, no tide, get the main -yard end on,
keep the boat away a little to allow for rounding to, *'down
jib,'' and rig in the bowsprit in good season ; when with way
enough. *' brail up the foresail," put the helm down, haul
flat aft the main sheet, brail up tne mainsail as soon as it
ceases to draw, out fenders.
If there is any current, make allowance for it by heading
for a point further forward or aft, as the case may be.
Riding to a windward tide, if approaching from abaft
the beam, the foresail may be taken in and mast unstepped,
using the mainsail only to bring her alongside. Approach-
ing tne ship from forward of tne beam, unstep masts and
out oars.
Whenever there is the slightest doubt of your ability to
fetch the gangway under sail, brail up, unstep the masts
and pull alongside.
Alwavs unstep the masts in approaching a vessel under
way, and do not board, or shove off from, a vessel which
has stemway on.
If unable to fetch the ship in a strong tideway or fresh
breeze, keep as much as possible in her wake. The ship
will veer astern a buoy, or small boat, bearing a line by
means of which the boat can be warped up alongside.
Under similar circumstances the gangway being un-
shipped (River Plate, Canton River, &c.), a small hawser
may be carried around the ship outside all, the bight made
fast to the bowsprit cap. the ends reaching the water astern
and the hawser suspended on both sides from each lower
yard-arm by whips with bowline knots.
The hawser is triced up clear when not in use. and dropped
in good season as a boat rope for approaching boats.
In going alongside a ship riding to her anchor, or under-
way, round to so that bow of the boat will be in the same
direction as the ship's head.
But if a vessel is moored head and stern, approach her
by rounding to head to the current
BOATS. 1 77
THE DISPOSITION AND USES OF MEN-OF-WAR BOATS.
A battleship of the Massachusett's class, carries thirteen
boats. When at sea they are stowed in cradles on skid
beams on the bridge deck. Some of the smaller boats are
carried in the larger ones. Two whale boats are carried at
davits and are used for life-boats. A sufficient numbei- of
port davits are' fitted to accommodate the boats when the
vessel is at anchor. The boats are as follows:
One 36-foot steam cutter.
One 33-foot steam cutter.
Two 33-foot sailing launches.
Three 28-foot cutters.
One 24-foot cutter.
Two 2()-foot dinghies.
One 30-foot whale boat gig.
Two 29-foot whale boats.
A smaller vessel carries a less number. Flagships carry
a barge.
The steam launch is used in towing, transporting stores
and for passengers.
The sailing launch and the larger cutters are employed
in all heavy work, carrying out anchors, watering and pro-
visioning snip.
Barges are for the use of flag officers, and are supplied
only to flag-ships.
Gigs are for the use of commanding oflScers.
Wnaleboats are used as life-boats or for answering
signals. &c.
Dinghies are used in conveying stewards and servants,
• T for other light work.
The cutters not reserved as working boats are the " run-
ning boats" of the ship for transporting passengers and
other general duties.
In Port, nothing sooner indicates the order and
discipline of a man-of-war than the clean state and effi-
cient condition of her boats. The coxswains of the regu-
lar running boats for the day should clean and have them
ready for lowering at the proper time, usually at morning
colors.
When boats are lowered, they are hauled out and secured
to pendants at the lower booms, fenders out; gigs and
dingies are secured to the stem pendants.
Every boat when down should contain a boat-keeper —
the duty being taken by the members of the boat's crew in
turn. Usually in a cutter, the men who occupy the same
thwart are detailed for one day, the next thwart taking the
duty on the following day.
A boat-keeper is to keep his boat clear of others, to haul
178 BOATS.
M up to the boom for manning, and to haul forward clear
of the gangway when other boats come alongside or shove
off.
Boat-keepers rise and salute all commissioned officers
passing, leaving, or going on board the ship.
To Keep a boat clear of a ship when nding astern, let
her tow the boat-bucket.
In blowy weather heavy boats are moored at the boom
with a hawser led through a block on the boom to another
on the bowsprit, thence inboard. This relieves the spar of
much strain.
A launch may be hoisted out of water overnight or to
scrub her bottom, bv using the cat and a stout purchase to
the bowsprit. If hoisted for scrubbing, send the hands
under her in the catamaran.
The crews of running boats should wear their neckhand-
kerchiefs, shoes and cap-ribbons, and be mustered for in-
spection every morning oy the officer of the deck.
Boats should be manned from the booms or stem pend-
ants if moored there. Three minutes is a fair allowance
of time for manning a boat and bringing her to the gang-
way.
JDnties of a. Boat OlHcer. When ordered
to take charge of a boat, report promptly to the officer of
the deck, dressed in the uniform of the day, and with side
arms. If there is no midshipman of the quarter-deck, see
the boat lowered and mannea, or manned and dropped to
the gangway from the boom. See the crew in uniform,
coxswain in, oars up, blades fore-and-aft.
Receive your orders, and be sure that you understand
them perfectly before leaving the ship, and also assure
yourself that all necessary articles are in the boat.
Having received your orders get in the boat, shove off
and let fsill.
If going to another man-of-war use the port side, except
when there are commissioned officers in the boat, or when
the starboard ladder only is shipped. Salute the quarter-
deck on stepping over the gangway, and report to the
officer of the aeck. When ready to leave the snip, request
the officer of the deck to have your boat at the gangway,
instead of giving orders yourself. When your boat is ready,
report your departure.
If in a tideway, and likely to be detained on board for
some time, request permission for your boat to hang on at
the boom ; do not allow your men to come on board without
permission from the officer of the deck.
If advisable, for any reason, order the coxswain as you
leave the boat to shove off and lie off the ship.
Preserve silence and order at all times in your boat, see
that the men pull properly, or, if sailing, that the sails ard
handled in accordance with the foregoing instructions.
BOATS. 179
When a boat officer must be absent from his boat, he
should leave his coxswain in charge, with positive orders
concerning his duty.
f Pulling in for a landing among a crowd of boats, lay on
your oars at a reasonable distance from the wharf, instead
of boating your oars at the last moment. This leaves you
control of the boat, and you can back or give way as may
be needed to avoid collision, instead of dashing in, break-
ing oars and boat-hooks, and may be staving your own
boat. Boat the oars when no longer needed.
Make due allowance for the rate at which the tide is
going past a ship, or the rate at which she mav be moving,
when making for her. A current frequently sets close
.along the shore in the opposite direction to the one that
is going bv the ship ; and, therefore, a little judgment
may save a long pull. An inquiring boat officer will learn
more of the local tides and currentsl)y a chat with a water-
man than can be found in books ; and by observing the
manoeuvres of native boatmen much labor and risk may be
avoided.
When practicable alwavs keep out of the strength of a
Contrary tide. *
Avail yourself of every opportunity for steering by a
range, as there are many coxswains who cannot steer a
straight course athwart a strong tide.
If conveying on shore a person entitled to a salute, work
up ahead of the ship if practicable, lay on your oars, flow your
sheets, or stop the engine (as the case may be) at the first
gun, and proceed after the last gun is fired.
A boat officer has charge of the boat, but when carrying
commissioned officers the senior line offlicer has authority to
interfere, and if need be to take command.
Never attempt to cut across the bows of a boat contain-
ing commissioned officers. Be on the alert to give the
proper salutes to all officers in passing boats of whatever
nationality, and be particular that the coxswain salutes all
officers, and rises to salute the commissioned officers.
At night, in thick weather, or when far from land, do
not leave the ship without a compass ; and get the bearing
of the place to which you are bound before starting. Takt'
a bearing of your own ship also before losing sight of her.
It has been found very convenient to keep a supply box
always in each boat, containing a pistol, flash-pan, powder,
caps, a rocket and blue light, hatcnet and a few nails. &c.
(See Ordnance Manual. )
A boat officer is always supposed to have his watch and
boarding book at hand.
When ordered on boat duty, it is well to remember
your men's meal hours, either taking the provisions in the
boat, or warning the master-at-arms that the crew will be
absent.
1 80 BOATS.
m
Acquire the habit of sitting down in a boat, and tieVer
stand up to perform any work which may be done sit-
ting.
Always step at once into the 'midships of a boat in
getting into one^ and never on the gunwale.
The boat should be baled out. slings hooked, and other-
wise prepared for hoisting, before reaching the ship, if
intenaing to hook on.
In boarding a merchant vessel fill out the columns of
your boarding Dook. If sent on board a man-of-war to offer
services, &c., keep any information acquired for insertion
in your book after leaving the vessel.
Finally, bear in mind at all times the following points :
Keep a boat bows on to a heavy sea.
Never jamb a helm down too suddenly or too far.
Keep your weights amidships.
Never belaythe sheets.
Beingf To^wed toy a Vessel. If alongside,
have the tow-rope from as far forward as possible, never
make it fast, but toggle it with a stretcher to the forward
thwart, steadying it over the stem with the bight of your
painter, or pass it through the foremost rowlock on the side
nearest the ship. Fig. 407.
When towing astern, the closer the better. In casting
off, if there are other boats towing astern, either be dropped
clear of them all, with your tow-line, before letting go, Or
be handy with your oars to avoid getting ath wart-hawse of
some of them.
Do not permit other boats to hold on to a vessel by your
boat. Get more of your own tow-line, steady it over the
stem and stern with slip lines, and pass the end into the
next boat astern. Fig. 406.
n?o wing** In taking another boat in tow, pass clear
of her oars ; place yourself right ahead, exactly in line,
and give way the instant that you have hold of her painter.
Do not give another boat your painter until she is in line
ahead of your boat. Toggle the tow-line between the two
after thwarts with a stretcher. Toggle your own painter
to the forward thwart before giving it to a boat aiiead.
This saves the stem and stern-post. If you wish to turn
your boat's head, bear the tow-line over the quarter on that
side to which you desire to turn, for the helm will be of
little or no use.
In towing short round, do not attempt to turn before your
leaders are around.
The heaviest boats should always be nearest the tow.
Boats will tow with increased effect if weighted with
shot. A few lengths of stream chain is the quickest weig^ht
that can be passed in and out, besides being less damagmg
to the boat. Men in the stf^rn sheets will answer the same
])nri)()S(\
BOATS. ISl
Taking another boat in tow without delaying the duty
by fouling her oars, or the boat itself, is a very neat
performance, and when well done, betokens judgment and
iikill.
Tow spars by their smaller ends.
A steam-launch being frequently used in towing may be
fitted with a span of wire rope, the ends being secured to
either quarter and with a gooa-sized thimble in the bight tu
receive the tow-line. The steering is rendered much easier
by the use of this span. Never allow a boat with men in it
to be towed without some means of steering it.
Towingr I^ii*e Sliipn* oi- VeKj^elK on
I^ii'e. When boats are sent on this service, provide them
with a few lengths of small chain, to make fast to the burn-
ing vessel ; grapnels would do well to throw on board, and
then make fast the tow-rope to the chain of the grapnel, for
the boats to tow from. There are many instances of tow-
ropes and hawsers being burnt when employed on this ser-
vice, and other vessels much endangered from want of this
precaution. If hawsers are sent to oe made fast to a burn-
mg vessel, with the intention of wari)ing her clear of other
vessels, using a length of stream-chain cable for the bend*
ing end will be found much safer than trusting to rope
alone.
Bo£ii*diiig;' a "W^recls or* "Vewsel in a
Heavy Sea. Whenever practicable, a vessel, whether
stranded or afloat, should be boarded to leeward, as the
principal danger to be guarded against must be the collision
of the Doat against the vessel, or her swamping by the re-
bound of the sea, and the greater violence of the sea on
the windward side is much more likely to cause such acci-
dents.
In boarding a stranded vessel on the lee side, if broadside
to the sea, the chief danger to apprehend is the falling of
the masts or the destruction of the boat amongst the wreck-
age alongside. Under such circumstances it may be neces-
sary to take a wrecked crew into a life-boat from the bow or
stem.
Large life-boats used on flat shores or shoals, usually
anchor to windward in boarding a wreck, and veer down
from a safe distance until near enough to throw a line on
board.
In every case of boarding a wreck or a vessel at sea, it
is important that the lines by which a boat is made fast to
the vessel should be of sufficient length to allow of her
rising and falling freely with the sea, and everjr rope should
be kept in hand ready to cut or slip in a moment, if necessary.
On wrecked persons or other passengers being taken into a
boat in a sea-way, they should be placed on tne thwarts in
equal numbers on either side, and be made to sit down^ all
crowding and rushing headlong into the boat being pre-
182 BOATS.
vented as far as possible ; and the captain of the sh>p, if a
wreck, should be called on to remain on board her to pre-
serve order until every other person shall have left the snip.
An exception to the usual rule of boarding to leeward
occurs in the case of a vessel of very low free board, such
as small schooners, &c. Board such craft on the weather
quarter to avoid being stove by the vessel's main-boom,
or chains, &c.
AVai*piiigr» A warp is a rope or a hawser employed
occasionally to remove a snip from one place to another in
a port or river.
To warp a vessel is to change her situation by pulling
her from one part of a harbor to another, by means of
warps which are taken to other ships, buoys, or certain
stations on shore. The ship is then drawn forward to
those fixed points, either by pulling on the warp by hand,
or by application of some purchase, as a tackle, or cap-
stan.
Wet warps require careful seizing. Make four parts of
a spun-yam seizmg, take a round turn with the bight of
this round the standing part of the warps, then pass the
seiziAg (figure of eight fashion) round the hitcnes and
standing part, then cross opposite ways with two parts
each way, reeve the ends through the bights and drag all
the turns taut.
The quick way to run a short warp out, is for one boat to
run away with the end, and the others to pull in fore-and-
aft under the bights, as they are payed out at equal dis-
tances, according to the length of the warp and number of
boats, giving way the moment they have got hold.
In all cases when you take in the end of a warp, coil
enough of it forward so as to be able to make a bend the
instant your boat reaches the place where you wish to
make fast.
It is hardly possible to lay a heavy warp out without
floating its bight. If there is a chance of its being suddenly
tautened, hang it outside the boat instead of laying it fore
and aft amidships.
A. GriaeHw AVai*x>. To lay out a warp to wind-
wardy or against a tide, coil the whole warp in the boat,
pull to the place assigned, make fast and drop down to the
ship.
To lay out a warp to leeward, or with the tide. Take
most of the warp in tne boat, let the ship pay out more after
the boat has shoved off, until what is in the boat is suffi-
cient, then pay out from the boat to the make-fast. Which-
ever way it be, there is great judgment required in reserv-
ing a sufficiency of hawser in the boat to insure that she
will reach her destination, only paying out when certain of
doing so. It is from this necei^sity for judging the distance,
by the eye that we have the term "guess warp."
BOATS. 183
When you are given the end of a hawser to run out
which is not becketed, put a hitch on it and stop the end
down at once.
Kled.glnLg'. When the operation of warping is per-
formed by the ship's kedges, these, together with their
warps, are carried out in the boats alternately, towards the
place where the ship is endeavoring to arrive, so that when
she is drawn up close to one, another is carried out to a
sufficient distance ahead, and being sunk, serves to fix the
other warp, by which she may be further advanced ; the first
kedge is then weighed, sent ahead, and the operation re-
peated. This is conmionly called kedaing.
When great expedition is required, the boats should be
equally divided into two parties, the light boats towing the
larger containing the keage and hawsers. As soon as the
first kedge is let go and the ship started ahead, the other set
may "pay and go," so that when the first is at a ** short
stay," the second may be let go, and the ship thus kept
going^ continuously.
The evolution of kedgin^ was practised on board the
Constitution, during the exciting chase in which she escaped
from the British squadron, under Sir Philip Broke.
There are many cases when kedging might be necessary
to modem vessels if disabled or not under steam.
Cairying- Stores. When provisioning ship, be
careful with the oars, as the blades are easily ruined bv
throwing them on stones orty treading on them : keep all
casks *' Dung up," and leave space under the aiterthwart
for baling the boat out. Have tarpaulins for covering
bread or anything that will be injured by salt water. Sling
the midship casks as they are stowed. While loading, make
large allowance for the roughness of water you may have
to encounter.
Do not overload a boat, particularly with men or sand ;
the former mav be attended with loss of life ; in the latter
case, it must be remembered that sand is much lighter
when dry than wet. Be prepared to buoy treasure if
carried.
A laden boat carries her way longer than a light one,
therefore shorten sail or " way enough" in good time.
JBoa,tH ta.king' in water in l:>ixllc. The
launch, or largest boat you intend for the purpose of water-
ing, must be cleared of all her gear of every description ;
then tow or pull her to the watering place, wnere she must
be well washed out with water several times, until perfectly
clean ; when done, put the hose into the boat, and merely
leave a couple of hands to attend it until the boat is full ;
then, by a signal from the shore, or otherwise, send a boat to
tow her off to the ship ; pump the water out of the boat into
your tanks, and so on until you complete your water. If in
a river, pull the plug out and let her fill.
184 BOATS.
In watering from a spring, keep the end of the suction
hose in a tub, or have a rag around the strainer to keep out
gravel or sand.
Ha^iilin^ ixp l>oatH on wlioi'e. Before leav-
ing the ship, see the boat's anchor and a good luff tackle in
the boat. If it is a heavv boat, say a launch, take a couple
of stout towlines or small hawsers as well, with additional
tackles.
Run the boat's bow on to the beach, and let a few hands
on each quarter keep her in that position, by setting their
oars against the ground ; next, sweep her with a hawser,
and g^y it up at the stern to a proper height by several
turns of the painter ; to this hawser hook on the double
block of the tackle, the other end, or single block, being
overhauled to a proper lengthy and hooked to the boat's
anchor buried in the ground, with one hand on it to prevent
rising. Fig. 408.
Pass the bight of another hawser round the stem post,
and having guyed it up on each side to the gunwale, nook
on, on eacn side, a quarter tackle also, overhauled to a
proper length, and hooked at the other end where conve-
nient ; man these with the remaining hands ; then, having
placed rollers in succession to take the boat's forefoot and
keel, proceed to haul away. When up, the loose thwarts set
against the ground and wash-streak will keep her upright.
The loose thwarts should also be placed for the rollers to
roll on if the ground is soft.
Smaller boats do not require quarter tackles, and may be
hauled up by their crews if provided with rollers and tackle,
as descrioeci.
Boats that are being frequently hauled up and launched
should have a hole in the forefoot, through which a strap
for the tackle could reeve. When the tacKle is secured to
the boat at the top of her stem, it buries her gripe in the
mud.
To transport on land a moderate-sized boat, turn her bot-
tom up and shoulder her by the gunwales. A heavy boat
should not at any time be turned bottom up, on account of
the strain.
Having hauled up boats or small vessels on temporary
ways for repairing, remember that sea- weed is as good as
soap on the ways, m launching.
Jilml>£ii-lci]:ig' HGSL\ry A.i'ticlew. In the en-
tire absence of usual resources, great weights, such as a
gun for instance, may be got into a boat where there is
great rise and fall by filling the boat at low water with dun-
nage or sand, banking up an inclined plane with shingle,
rolling the gun into tne boat, clearing out the sand and.
waiting for the tide to float her off.
Get a boat under a low bridge, or under a weight that
cannot be raised high enough to clear the gunwale, by
BOATS. 185
taking the plug out ; then replacing it and pumping out the
water.
When weighing anything heavy over the stern of tho
launch, bear the rope amidships and ship the awning stan-
chion over it, the latter being fitted witn two legs, one on
either side of the stern roller. This will keep the rope from
flying over to the quarter and capsizing the boat.
Liiie-l>oatH« In men-of-war, aooat on each quarter
is desi^ated as a '* life-boat." These boats are fitted with a
detaching apparatus of some one of the pjattems described
below, and are otherwise prepared for immediate use at
sea, the other boats being topped up and more permanently
secured.
There is a life-boat's crew in each watch, composed of
the best seamen in it, and with plenty of supernumeraries
to supply the places of men aloft, at the wheel, or sick,
The coxswain of the life-boat's crew of the watch inspects
both life-boats at sundown, sees the plugs in, towline from
forward secured in place and clear, falls clear for running,
fripes ready for slipping, oars in place, steering-oar pointed
ut clear of the aiter block, bag of bread, breaker of water
and bucket (or bailer) in the boat, and a lighted boat com-
pass at hand abaft the wheel, in charge of cabin orderly, or
m some place well known to both crews.* He should report
to the omcer of the deck, ' ^ Life-boats clear and ready for
lowering."'
Being in charge of the life-boat when called away, see
Slug in and conipass in the boat, all the gear readv as above
escribed ; sena out all supernumeraries, slip the gripes,
stand by lever of detaching apparatus yourself, if worked in
the after part of the boat, otnerwise go to the steering-oar.
Caution the bowman, who may be looking out for the tow-
line, to keep clear of the forward block till detached.
Detach the boat in ^ood season; some forms of apparatus
will slip one fall at a time if the boat becomes partly water-
borne owing to delay at the lever.
The boat being unhooked, the boat-rope should have
drift enough to let you shoot out well clear of the side while
being towed. Take advantage of this to have every oar
rigged out and manned before letting go.
If the boat is sluggish in getting clear, shove her stern
out and cast oflE the towline ; the ship moving on, leaves you
head to sea ; out oars as speedily as possible.
If after a man overboard, let a cool hand watch the ship
for signals and steer accordingly. On reaching the man, if
he has the buoy and is not exhausted, round to head to
wind before picking him up. In any case, on approach-
ing him, trail as many oars as possible, and be careful how
the remaining ones are handled ; get the man aboard
forward if possible, then out oars, pull ahead, and take in
the buoy over the quarter.
1 86 BOATS.
Your vessel having run to leeward to pick you up. it will
be advisable in a heavv sea to tow the ouov on vour wav
back with a good scope, letting it act as a drag.
Pull up under the lee of the ship ; get your towline firsts
as previously described under "Hoisting." Bend your
line from the buoy to another line passed from aft, and let
the buoy be roused up to its proper place.
In hoisting let the men put their weights on the life-lines.
When hooked on, the boat is run up smartly and without
stopping, as the vessel rolls toward it.
when boats are suddenly lowered, in an emergency, it is
very often of the highest importance that they should be
provided with means of night-signalling, sounding, or
effecting temporary repairs. The boat boxes containinfi^
the necessary articles are now usually kept in the hold.
It would be better if essential articles were kept in a
small locker built in to the boat, as is the case in other
navies.
In referring to the above-mentioned boats as "life-
boats," the word is not to be understood in its literal
sense, as regular life-boats are not supplied to vessels of
the navy.
Small empty casks or breakers, tightlv bunged and
lashed beneath thd thwarts, would partially convert any
boat into a life-boat, by making it impossible for her to
founder.
Balsas, or life-rafts, are supplied to vessels of war — ^being
of different sizes and material, but similar in design. They
consist of two cylindrical-shaped air-chambers, pointed at
both ends, and supporting a platform, or raft. The air
cylinders are either of wood, or made of rubber covered
with canvas ; in smaller forms the air-chambers are some-
times of rubber, not covered. When the air-chambers are
of rubber the larger balsas are usually kept empty imtil
wanted, when the air-chambers are inflated by means of
a sort of bellows and tube.
A small form of wooden balsa is used throughout the
service as a catamaran, or boat for the side cleaners.
The small rubber balsas are excellent substitutes for life-
buoys, and in many ships are slung at the quarters for
that purpose. They can be used to carry lines astern or
ashore, in the case of a wreck.
HINTS FOR BOAT OFFICERS IN CHARGE OF STEAM
LAUNCHES.
The following Instructions for Working the Engines
of Steam Launches are introduced here, as the boat offi-
cer is not unfrequently thrown entirely on his own re-
sources. *
• From the " Sailors' Pocket Book," ' • '^aptain P. G. D. Bedford, R. N.
BOATS. 187
The engine should not be removed from the boat oftenep
than can be helped. The boiler of steam launches should
be lifted, examined at the bottom, and painted every
month.
See that the tanks, fitted for the purpose, are properly-
supplied with coal and fresh water.
The connection with propellers and water-tight joints
must be made good before leaving the ship.
Water is run into the boiler throurfi a nose by removing
one of the safety-valves. When the water is showing
from one-half to three-fourths up the gauge-glass, remove
the hose and replace the safety-valve. Great care must be
taken to see the valve and its seating perfectly clean before
the valve is replaced.
To ^Gtt up Steam. Put a surface of coal over
the fire-bars, shut the ash-pit door, and light up with wood
and coal at the front until a sufficient body of fire is
obtained to ignite the coal on the bars, when the fire may
be pushed back, and the ash-pit door opened.
When steam begins to show by the gauge, try the safety-
valves, and use the blast (if the steam be required in great
haste), until sufficient pressure be obtained.
The Boiler will require the most careful and con-
stant attention while steaming. When attainable, fresh
water should always be used.
From 40 to 50 lbs. of steam pressure is quite sufficient for
all ordinary service. Leaks about tubes and tube-plates are
most frequently caused by forced steaming.
The water snould never be allowed to go below the mark
of low level.
At high speed it is liable to show higher in the gauge-
glass than it really is.
The gauge-glass and gauge-cocks must be frequently
tried, the one being a check on the other.
The water moving in the glass with the movements of
the boat is a proof of the glass-gauge being correct.
Qare should be taken to prevent spray from striking the
gaut^e-glass, as it is very liable to break it.
Maintain a sufficient quantity of water in the boiler
and keep the feed-water supply as nearly constant as
possible. In the event of the water getting low the fire
must be checked as quickly as possible ; to effect this,
open the front connection door, shut the ash-pit door,
and throw on wet ashes. In an extreme case, draw the
fire.
^-tctirting the lEii^iie. Have every fractional
part of the engines carefully oiled, especially cylinders,
slide-valves, eccentrics, cranks, and thrust ; open the small
drain-cocks in connection with the cylinders and slide-
valves, to get rid of condensed water, and let them remain
open for a lew turns of the engines. The steam-valve may
188 BOATS.
be left a little open while steam is getting up, to warm the
engine.
Starting ahead or astern is effected by link-motion, and
requires no consideration after observing the movement of
the handle connected with the link.
Great care should be taken to admit the steam to the
engines gently at first, and get them up to their full speed
gradually.
S/uniiiii^* Attention to the engines is required in
preventing over-heating of working parts.
Any unusual noise must be quickly attended to, and
cause ascertained.
Sea- Water*. If obliged to use sea-water for the
feed, let the process of blowing-off be as constant and con-
tinuous as possible.
l^^ii^ing-. The firing must be careful, and frequent,
in just sufficient quantity to keep the fire-bars properly
covered ; attention to this will go far to prevent prim-
ing.
Keep the steam at a regular pressure, and the fire-
bars free from clinkers by hooking them out as soon as
formed.
The tubes, fire-box, smoke-box, and the space at the
back of the fire-bridge should be kept free and clean ; this
must be done as opportunity offers.
If the screw of a steam-launch is taken off for the pur-
pose of her being used as a sailing-boat, the brass busnes,
usually providea for the purpose, should be put on the end
of the shaft (first coating them with white lead and tallow),
in order to prevent them from the rapid galvanic action
which takes place by their close proximity to the copper
sheathing on the boat's bottom. If no Dushes are pro-
vided, the end of the shaft should be lapped round with
spun-yarn well saturated with stiff white lead and tal-
low.
A steam-launch should not be driven at high speed in a
seaway, and her outfit should always include a few oars and
thole-pins, for use in case of accident to the machinery,
also life preservers ; especially in iron launches.
Jumpinof l^ooms. Steam-launches are cobci-
monly fitted with apparatus for spar-torpedoes, supplied
and described by the Ordnance Bureau. To enable such
torpedo boats to clear obstructions in the form of booms,
the fittinss shown in Fi^. 398, Plate 82," have been success-
full} usea, the object being to give the bows of the boats an
upward slant on striking the boom, which enables them to
jump it. The engine should be stopped on striking the
boom, and until it is cleared.
The form of the skeleton frame fitted forward is, of
course subject to variation, depending on the shape of the
stem.
15
Plate 86
JH6.410
Fig.'lll
I
B
T
JErig.4.1S
Tnig.413
BOATS. ISi)
WOOD'S BOAT DETACHING APPARATUS. (Pi^tb 86.)
This device consists of two slotted, hinged links, A A,
whose pivoting ends are secured in or near the stem and
stem of the boat. The movable ends of these links are
held in a fixed position, when necessary, by lengths of
small chain, which are joined by a slip hook d. A tripping
link, E, holds the slip-hook closed. By pulling upon the
Laniard, L, the slip-hook may be released, the hinged links,
A, A, turn upward, and the falls, F F, are detached. Figs.
410 and 411.
The lower blocks of the falls are fitted with ball toggles,
adjusted to enter the slots in the links A A. When a fall is
hooked on, the tumbler, X, under the hinge, A, closes the
slot and prevents accidental unhooking, whether in the case
of one end of the boat being lifted by a sea in lowering, or
before the falls have been set taut in hoisting.
The tumbler, X, is free to turn back to aflow the toggle,
F, to pass into place in hooking on, but it is then brought
back inunediately into place by the counter-balance on its
lower end.
The ball* toggles, F, may be either moused on old style of
hooks, or the hooks may be removed and the toggles fitted
to their places on the block-straps.
The rollers, B B, are made smaller than shown in the
plate, which represents the apparatus fitted with fiexible
wire pendants, for which smaU chain is now substituted.
The enlarged figures, 412 and 413, show how the appara-
tus is now fitted in boats hung by the extremities, or from
points nearer the centre of the boat.
In Fig. 412, y is an eyebolt for the boat's painter.
In Fig. 413 it is desirable, when possible, that the head
of the stanchion, S, should be steadied against a thwart in
the bow or stem sheets.
After the apparatus is fitted in the boat, the chain is
taken up to the proper length and cut at Z, and the long
link welded in permanently.
It should be remembered that the chain must always be
set taut, and only then is the boat ready for hooking on.
Either fall can be hooked independently.
The laniard used for tripping the slip-hook should also
be used as a preventer when the boat is hoisted, by hitching
it forward around the chain, or thwart, or other convenient
place.
To Hio^wer And Detach ^^^lien tlie
HocLt is reported, ready. When the crew, cox-
swain and officer are in the boat, and after one of the stroke
oarsmen has cast loose the laniard, and handed it to the
officer in charge, the officer of the deck gives the order to
"lower away. As soon as the boat is near enough the
190 BOATS.
water, say about two feet, the person holding the end of the
laniard gives a quick jerk, and thus freeing the ends of the
chain, they slack and allow the links to rise and the toggles
to escape simultaneously.
In case the ship is rolling heavily very little lowering
will be necessary, as the boat can be detached as she rolls
toward the water, and will be clear of the ship before the
return roll.
To Hook on the Boat* As soon as the boat is
clear of the ship one of the stroke oarsmen brings the ends
of the chain together, ref astens the sliphook and hitches the
laniard forward as a securing.
The boat is then ready for hooking on when she returns
to the ship, after having completed her trip.
When she comes alongside, the man in the bow gets the
forward fall and sticks the toggle into the large part of the
link and pushes it up beyond the tumbler. The man in the
stern does the same, and as the falls are set taut on deck,
they slue the turns out of the falls, the toggles acting as
swivels. Figs. 400 and 4()0 a, Plate 85, represents Brown's
detaching apparatus.
ON THE MANAGEMENT OF OPEN ROWING-BOATS
IN A SURF.*
!• R/Ovi^irigr to S€*a.^vai*cl« As a general rule,
speed must be given to a boat rowing against a heavy surf.
Indeed, under some circumstances, her safety will depend
on the utmost possible speed being attained on meeting a
sea. For if the sea be really heavy, and the wind blowing
a hard, on-shore gale, an approaching heavy sea may carry
the boat away on its front, and turn it broadside on, or up-
end it. A boat's only chance in such a case, is to obtain
such way as shall enable her to pass, end on, through the
crest of the sea, and leave it as soon as possible behind her.
If there be a rather heavy surf, but no wind, or the wind off
shore and opposed to the surf, as is often the case, a boat
might be propelled so rapidly through it that her bow would
fall more suddenly and heavily after topping the sea than
if her way had been checked.
It may also happen that, by careful management, a boat
may be made to avoid the sea, so that each wave may break
ahead of her, which may be the only chance of safety in a
small boat ; but if the shore be flat, and the broken water
extend to a great distance from it. this wi?l often be impos-
sible.
The following general rules for rowing to seaward may
therefore be relied on :
* From a pamphlet of the National Life-boat Institution.
BOATS. 191
I. If sufficient command can be kept over a boat by the
skill of those on board her, avoid the sea if possible, so as
not to meet it at the moment of its breaking or curling over.
II. Against a head gale and heavy surf, get all possible
speed on a boat on the approach of every sea which cannot
be avoided.
III. If more speed can be given to a boat than is suffici-
ent to prevent her being carried back by a surf, her way may
be checked on its approach, which will give her an easier
passage over it.
II. H.xi.miiiig' l>efV>re a. Brolcen Sea.9 oi*
Surf, to tlie Shore (Flat Ueach). The one
great danger, when running before a broken sea, is that of
broach ing-to. To that peculiar effect of the sea, so fre-
quently destructive of numan life, the utmost attention
must be directed.
The cause of a boat's broaching-to when running before
a broken sea or surf is, that her own motion, being in the
same direction as that of the sea, she opposes no resistance
to it, but is carried before it. Thus, if a boat be running
bow on to the shore, and her stern to the sea, the first effect of
a surf or roller, on its overtaking her, is to throw up the stern,
and, as a consequence, to depress the bow ; if she then have
sufficient inertia (which will be proportional to weight) to
allow the sea to pass her, she will in succession pass through
the descending, the horizontal, and the ascending positions,
as the crest of the wave passes successively her stern, her
midships, and her bow, in the reverse order in which the
same positions occur to a boat propelled to seaward against
a surf. This may be defined as the safe mode of running
before a broken sea.
But if a boat, on being overtaken by a heavy surf, has
not sufficient inertia to allow it to pass her, the first of the
three positions alone occurs — her stern is raised high in the
air. and the wave carries the boat before it, on its front or
unsafe side, the bow deeply immersed in the hollow of the
sea, where the water, being stationary, or ccmiparatively so,
offers a resistance, while the crest of the sea, having the
actual motion which causes it to break, forces onward the
rear end of the boat. A boat will, in this position, sometimes,
aided by careful oar-steerage, run a considerable distance
until the wave has broken and expended itself. But it will
often happen that, if the bow be low, it will be driven under
water, when, the buoyancy being lost forward, while the sea
presses on the stern, the boat will be thrown end over end.
Or if the bow be high, or protected by a bow air-chamber, so
that it does not become submerged, the resistance forwanl
acting on one bow will slightly turn the boat's head, and the
force of the surf being transferred to the opposite quarter,
11>2 BOATS.
she will in a moment be turned broadside to the sea, and be
thrown by it on her beam ends, or altogether capsized. It
is in this manner that most boats are upset in a surf, espe-
cially on flat coasts.
Hence it follows that the management of a boat when
landing through a heavy surf, must stop her progress shore-
ward at the moment of her being overtaken by a heavy sea,
and enable it to pass her. There are different ways of effect-
ing this object: —
Ist. By turning a boat's head to the sea before entering
the broken water, and then backing in stern foremost, pull-
ing a few strokes ahead to meet each heavy sea, and then
again backing astern. If a sea be really heavy and a boat
small, this i)lan will be generally the safest.
2d. If rowing to shore with the stern to seaward, by
backing all the oars on the approach of a heavy sea, and
rowing ahead again as soon as it has passed to the bow of
the boat, thus rowing in on the back of the wave; or, as is
practised in some life-boats, placing the after-oarsmen, with
their faces forward, and making them row back at each sea
on its approach.
• '^d. If rowed in bow foremost, by towing astern a pig of
ballast or large stone, or a large basket, or a canvas bag
termed a ''drogue" or drag, made for the purpose, the ob-
ject of each being to hold the boat's stern back and prevent
her being turned broadside to the sea or broaching-to.
A boat's sail bent to a yard, loosed and towed astern, the
yard being attached to a line capable of being veered, hauled,
or let go, will act in some measure as a drag, and will tend
much to break the force of the sea immediately astern of the
boat.
Heavy weights should be kept out of the extreme ends of
a boat; but when rowing before a heavy sea, the best trim
is deepest by tlie stern, which prevents the stern being rea<l-
ilv beaten off bv the sea.
A boat should be steered bv an oar over the stern or on
one quarter when running ]>efore a sea.
The following general rules may, therefore, be depended
on when running before, or attempting to land, through a
lieavy surf or broken water : —
I. As far as possible avoid each sea by placing the boat
where the sea will break ahead of her.
II. If the sea be very heavy, or if the boat be small, and
especially if she have a square stern, bring her bow round
to seaward and back her in, rowing ahead against each
heavy surf, sufficiently to allow it to pass the boat.
III. If it be considered safe to proceed to the shore bow
foremost, back the oars against each sea on its approach, so
as to stop the boat's way through the water as far as possi-
ble, and if there is a drag, or any other appliance in the boat
BOATS. 193
which may be used as one, tow it astern to aid in keepinji^
the boat stern on to the sea, which is the chief object in view.
rV. Bring the principal weights in the boat towards the
end that is to seaward ; but not to the extreme end.
V. If a boat worked by both sails and oars be running
under sail for the land through a heavy sea, her crew should,
unless the beach be quite steep, take down her masts antl
sails before entering the broken water, and take her to land
under oars alone, as above described. If she have sails only,
her sails should be much reduced, a half -lowered fore-sail
or other small head-sail being sufficient.
III. !Bea,e]i.iiig'9 oi* T^anclin^ tlii-oiig-li ai.
Hiirf. The running before a surf or broken sea, and tht»
bt»Jiching, or landing of a boat, are two distinct operations;
the management of boats, as above recommended, has ex-
clusive reference to running before a surf where the shore
is so flat that the broken water extends to some distance
from' the beach. On a very steep bea(^h, the first heavy fall
•)f broken water will be on the beach itself, while on some
very flat shores, there will be broken water extending four
€)r five miles from the land. The outermost line of broken
water, on a fiat shore, where the waves break in three or
four fathoms of water, is the heaviest, and tlierefore the*
most dangerous; and when it has been passed tlirough in
safety, the danger lessens as the water shoals, until, on
nearing the land, its force is spent and its powt r i.; hai miess.
As the character of the sea is quite different on steej) and
flat shores, so is the customary management of boats, on
landing, different in the two situations.
On the flat shore, whether a boat be run or backed in. she
is k »pt straight before, or end on to the sc»a until she is fairly
aground, when each surf takes her further in as it overtakes
lier, aided by the crew, who will then generally jump out to
lighten her, and drag her in by the sides. As above stated,
sail will, in this case, have been previously taken in, if set,
and the boat will have b(»en rowed or backed in by the oars
alone.
0\\ the other hand, on the steep be^tch it is the general
]>ractice, in a boat of any size, to sail right on to the beach,
and in the act of landing, whether under oars or sail, to turn
the boat's bow half round, toward the direction in which the
surf is running, so that she maybe thrown on her broadside
up the beach, where abundance of help is usually at hand
to haul her as quickly as possible out of the reach of trhe sea.
In such situations, we believe it is nowhere the practice to
back a boat in stern foremost under oars, but to row in un-
der full speed, as above described.
CHAPTER XIV.
Q ROUND-TACKLE.
ANCHORS, CHAINS, KTT.
The methods of handling anchors and chains, herein
described, are common to sailing vessels fitted with hand
capstans. Vessels of war of recent construction, are fitted
with steam capstans and windlasses : but as the same gen-
eral practice obtains in all, a description of each is deemed
unnecessary.
A^nchors. Although the general form of the anchor
has undergone but slight modification since the earliest
ages, yet there are. even at this late day, as many opinions
as authorities in regard to the best proportions and best
shape of the various parts.
Anchors are made of wrought iron and cast steel. Great
care is exercised in the quality of the steel used, and the
casting is very carefully annealed to give it the proper uni-
formity and toughness. Both kinds for the navy are made
at the Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.
Anchors are of two kinds — Solid, or ordinary, and Port-
able.
The Solid or ordinary anchors are those which have the
shank and arms wrought into one body, or mass, at the
crown of the anchor, Fig. 414, Plate 87.
The Portable anchors are those which admit of being
separated, and taken to pieces. Of this kind there are
many varieties.
Figs. 414 and 415 show the wooden-stocked and iron-
stocked anchor as commonly supplied to the service, the
former being at present reserved for permanent moorings,
iron-stocked ancliors being furnished exclusively on board
ship.
In Fig. 414 :
The shank is all that part extending in a straight line
from a to 6.
The square is that part of the shank which extends from
c to d, to which the siock is attached.
The arm is the part which extends from the throat (or
crutch) to the extreme end, from e to /, including the palm,
the point and the blade,
»04
Plate 87
SHg.^1^
QROUND-TACKLK. 195
The palm or Auke is the part of the axm, of a shield-like
form, from g to n, and constitutes the holding surface of the
anchor.
The point {pee or bill) is the part of the arm included
between the termination of the palm and the extreme end^
f rom / to h.
The blade is the part of the arm at the back of the palm
from i to k.
The crown is the external arch upon which the anchor
falls when let go in a vertical position, and may be said to
extend from k to A;'.
The ring (or jews-harp), o, is the appendage by which
the cable is attached to the anchor, by means of a shackle
on the end of the cable, caUed the anchor-shackle. The
last link of the chain, which is secured into this shackle by
a pin. is of peculiar form, and is called the club-link.
The stocky p, is the transverse beam which cants the
anchor when the arms fall in a horizontal instead of a ver-
tical position.
The throat of the arms is the curved part at c, where
the arms are joined to the shank.
All anchors and chains used in the navy are made at the
foundry in the navy-yard at Boston.
Iron Stoels:^. An iron stock is generally a round
bar of iron with a collar near the centre. It is put through
a hole in the square of the shank, the collar resting against
one side, and being kept there bv a forelock which passes
through the stock on the other side of the square. There is
a wasner between the f oreloc'k and the square.
• A. "Wooden Stoclc has generally a square sec-
tion tapering both ways towards the centre ; it is encircled
with iron hoops, and a square hole is cut in the centre to fit
it on the s<}uare of the shank. An improved plan is to make
it of two pieces, by cutting it lengthwise, and to forge pro-
jections from the square to be enclosed between the two
Earts of the stock and furnish large bearings ; the two
alves after being put on are hooped together.
Wooden stocks are made of oak, in two pieces left suffi-
ciently apart in the middle to give greater binding power to
the hoops, and to admit of their being driven up when the
wood shrinks, a precaution which should be adopted after
long exposure to a hot sun.
The following is taken from the Book of Allowances of
1881:
1. All anchors and kedges are to have iron stocks. The
weight of an iron stock is, as nearly as possible, one-fourth
of the anchor to which it belongs.
2. Bower and sheet anchors are to be alike in weight.
The weight of an anchor or kedge, as marked on it, being
inclusive of the bending-shackle and stock.
1 '^^ GROUXD-TACKLE.
3. Stream-anchors, in all cases, when allowed, are to be
about one-fourth the weight of the bower.
4. Kedges, when four are allowed; are to be, respectively,
about one-seventh, one-eighth, one-tenth, and one-four-
teenth the weight of the bower ; when three are allowed,
one-sixth, one-eighth, and one-tenth ; when two are allowed,
one- sixth and one-tenth ; and when one is allowed, one-
eighth.
5. Each boat of every vessel is allowed one anchor ; the
weight in pounds to be obtained by multiplying the square
of the extreme breadth by 1.2.
Froof of'^A^noliOfM. E^ch forging or casting
is slung in chains and raised to a height of 15 feet from the
ground to the lowest part of the forging as it hangs in the
slings. It is then dropped on ground of the hardness of a
good macadamized road. It is then lifted from the ground,
and hanging in the slings is well hammered over its parts
with a sledge hammer, weighing not less than seven pounds,
and it must give under this treatment such a clear ring in
all its parts as shall satisfy the inspectpor that the forging
is sound and without flaws existing either originally or de-
veloped as the result of these tests.
Many anchors are now fitted with a balancing band
around the shank at the centre of gravity of the entire
mass. A heavy link or shackle is secured to this band and
by hooking the cat block, or pendant*, into it the anchor is
lifted to the bill board, or the frame on which it is carritvl,
without using the fish.
I*<>i'tal>le A.iiclioi"H, The two arms of a portable
anchor, called flukes, are in most of them attached to the
shank by means of a pin through the centre of the flukes,
and through iaws forged on the end of the shank. The
flukes may eitner be kept firm by forging lugs on them to
embrace a shoulder on the shanl£, or thev may move around
the pin. In this case the extent of the motion may be
limited by a second pin through the shoulder, playing in a
long hole in the flukes, or simply by the bills coming in
contact with the shank. When the flukes are movable
they have to be so shaped that when the upper arm is
drawn as near the shanK as possible, the Qther fulflls the
proper conditions for holding. To force the arms to assume
this position, it is necessary to provide each of them with a
horn projecting outward just a Dove the palm. This forms
a secondary bill, which holds quick, and brings the arm in
a position to hold also. The two arms may be forged sepa-
rately, with a tenon at the end of each, by means of which
they are fastened to the shank, on which mortises are cut
to receive the tenons. Porter's anchor, as improved by
Trotman, and known now by the latter name, is of this
description ; see Fig. 416.
GROUND-TACKLE. 1 97
3i;artiii'.s ^neliors. Fig. 417. A form of patent
anchor supplied to some of the monitors, and specially
adapted for vessels which require a clear deck forward for
right ahead fire. Stock and nukes are in the same horizon-
tal plane when the anchor is laid flat, both flukes taking
the ground when the anchor is let go.
A later patent of this anchor is now extensively used.
The head has been enlarged, and so made that it acts as a
lever to the flukes and forces them to bite the ground.
Tlie iV£ixshLi*oom Anchor, is made without a
stock, by substituting for the arm a cap. or reversed cup,
called parachute, making the anchor represent a mush-
room. Fig. 420, Plate 89.
One great advantage possessed by this anchor is, that it
does not foul the chain, and for this reason it is used almost
exclusively for our light-ships.
A MUSHROOM consists of a heavy iron cup (the mush-
room anchor without the shank), having on its convex
surface a shackle. These are used for the anchoring of
buoys.
The principal qualities desirable in anchors are : strengtli
and holding properties. They should be so made as to biti*
quickly, cant easily, and of convenient form for stowing.
Anchors are brought oflf to the ship in lighters. Having
them under the bows, overhaul down the cat and fish, hook
on. cat and fish the anchor, passing the ring-stopper and
shank-painter^ and bend the buoy-rope if used. It is recom-
mendea to bend a stout hawser to the ring of the anchor,
in case of accident. It is also reconrmienaed to hook and
I mil up on the cat and fish together, for fear of injury to the
ighter.
The method of getting the waist anchor into its berth has
been given.
•JvLi^y A.iielioi"K. Having lost the heavy anchors,
a stream or kedge anchor and a gun may be combined, the
one giving weight and the other holding power, so as to
answer very well for a temporary anchor ; a spare anchor-
stock, fish, or any suitable spar being lashed across to serv^
as a stock, Fig. 418, Plate 89, At the trunnions would be
the best place for securing the stock, but it has been placed
clear, in the figure, to snow the manner of securing the
kedge and strap to which the chain shackles. A heavy
ancnor with a broken shank may be treated in the same
way.* This plan was suggested by Admiral Porter.
Quns are a resource, when without anchors. Haul a cable
from the hawse-hole along the side, by a warp from aft,
keeping it up with slip-ropes from the ports, and lash it to a
certain numoer of guns round their chase ; pass the end of
the breechings round the cable, and secure tnem on the top
of the gun ; heave all overboard together. In weighing
them, hoist them with the cat, as they reach the hawse-
108 GROUND-TACKLE.
hole, and take them in through the bow-port. Jury anchors
should be lowered to the bottom by slip-ropes,
IMitchelPs Scre^vir A-nclior, Fig. 419. These
are very powerful screws made use of for mooring purposes,
which, having a broad flange nearly four feet in diameter,
present a resistance, when entered into the ground, equal
to that of ten square feet. This is not only much greater
than that of an anchor, but is less liable to be fouled by
other ground tackle.
The chain is connected with a revolving collar. The
screwing down is effected by a key, which is placed piece
by piece as the screw is lowered ; the collar admitting of
the turning, without fouling the cable. When the screw
has been sunk to the desired depth, the key is removed.
The foundation for the lighthouse on Mapling Sands was
formed on pilings shod with these screws.
A. Sea .A^nclioi*. This anchor may frequentlv be
of the greatest possible use, and may be made in tie follow-
ing manner : Take three spare spars (topgallant studding-
sail booms will be suflSciently large), with these form a
triangle ; cut these spars to the required length, after cross-
lashing them well at each angle ; then make fast your
spans, one to each angle, so that they will bear an equal
strain when in the water ; but should your spars be weak,
jrou should always increase the number of spans accord-
ingly ; fill up the centre of the triangle with strong canvas,
having eyelet-holes round its sides, about three inches
apart, through which eyelet-holes attach the canvas securely
to the spars ; at the back of the canvas pass many turns of
inch or inch and a half rope, net fashion. A net would be
preferable to rope so expended. To the base of the triangle
attach a weight, or small anchor, supported in the centre of
the base by a span running from each of the lower angles.
To the first-mentioned span make fast the stream cable.
When everything is quite ready, hoist or put it overboard
from the place you think it will answer best. There is
every reason to believe that with this anchor under the
trough of the sea, and seventy or eighty fathoms of stream
cable out, a ship's drift would not be very great.
If a ship should approach the shore with this sea
anchor down, it would enable her to bring to with her
proper anchors much easier than if the sea anchor had
not been down. She might let go her proper anchor and
veer from the sea anchor, until she had sufficient cable
out, which would give her a much better chance of hold-
ing.
Another plan is to have two flat bars of iron, each in
length half the breadth of the vessel's midship beam,
riveted together in the middle by an iron saucer-headed
bolt, clinched at its point, that they may be swung parallel
to each other, for easy stowage. At each end of the bars
GROUND-TACKLE.
199
is a hole for a rope or swifter to pass through, which must
be hove tight to extend the bars at right angles. To this
swifter is marled a double or fourfold No. 1 canvas cloth, of
the same shape, and put on the side of the frame nearest
the ship when used. At equal distances in the bars are
holes to which is attached the bridle or crow's-foot for
bending the cable or hawser. Also have a ring at one of
the angles for a buoy-rope, which should be from ten to
twelve fathoms long. The buoy prevents the anchor from
sinking to the bottom, and facilitates getting it on board
again.
Another sea anchor is that suggested by Captain P.
Thompson, Examiner in Navigation for the Board of Trade,
England.
The cargo derrick of a merchant ship (or any suitable
spar of a vessel of war) and chain, together with the storm
stay-sail, ofifer the ready materials for constructing a sea
anchor in a steamer, as is shown in Fig. D.
D, the cargo derrick ; S, the sail bent to it : B, the bridle ;
and C, the cleat to keep that .end of the bridle touching it
in its place. The other end is kept fixed by the iron band on
that end of the spar.
Through the shackle of a large kedge-anchor the bight
of the derrick chain is hitched, and the two ends taken up
alongside of the after-leech and foot-rope and seized to them
at intervals of two feet, the ends of the chain are then
secured to the opposite ends of the spar.
On the other side the drag is snaked from chain to chain
with two-inch rope.
A chain is passed from the anchor stock to that part of
the bridle where the tow-rope is secured, the whole tning is
then complete.
Blockading vessels on an open and exposed coast have
used sea anchors with great advantage during bad weather.
200 GROUND-TACKLK.
Sea J^Lnelioi^feS, in the form of a cone, as now made
for vessels of the United States Navy : In the larger sizes, the
anchor is made of two thicknesses of No. 1 flax canvas with
3^^ inch tabling at base, roped with 2^ inch bolt rope, eyelets
worked every six inches to secure bolt rope to base roping or
bale which is of 3 J inch galvanized wire rope made in eight
sections. The ends of the eight sections of bale rope are
spliced around wire rope thimbles which are connected
with galvanized iron links, 8 inches long, thus making the
ring continuous, and allowing of easy folding for stowage.
The cone is roped, lengthwise, with :Ji inch bolt rope, the
eight parts forming an eye at the apex, while the other ends
having been securely hitched around the bale rope are
brought together around a large galvanized iron thimble at
Hi feet from the base of the cone into which the riding haw-
ser is bent. This is called the bridle. See Fig. 425, Plate 90.
The following sizes are fitted as above in eight sections
with diameters of bases 1(1, 15, and U feet, and heights of
cones respectively 10, 17J, and 10 feet.
The following sizes are fitted the same except that the
number of sections is six, bases 12, 11, 10, li, and 8 feet,
height of cone 14, 13, 12, 10, and 0 feet, bolt rope 3^ inch
and wire rope bale 3^ inch. The links and thimbles are
smaller.
The three smallest sizes are in four sections, canvas.
No. 2 flax, bolt rope 2 J inch, wire rope 22 inch and smaller
links and thimbles. These sizes are base, 7, 0, and 5 feet ;
cone, 8. 7, and (J feet.
The tripping line by means of which the anchor is hauled
on board is made fast to the eye at tlu* apex of the cone.
CABLES.
Cables for the navy are made at the Boston Navy-Yard.
An iron or steel rod of the requisite length and diameter is
shaped into a link and a stud put in, another piece of iron
of the same dimensions is put through the link just formed,
and shaped as before ; thus fifteen fathoms are made, when
a shackle is formed for connecting it to a second length,
and so on for one hundred and twenty fathoms, or the re-
quired length, when we have the anc^hor-shackle and club-
link.
The end links have no studs, in order to facilitate the
operation of shackling, but the wire of these links is made
the same diameter as the cable next in size.
It is customary now to connect the cable with the shackh^
and club link by means of an ordinary shackle and one
triplet * of chain. Fig. 438, Plate 1)5. This is done to avoid
* A Triplet. Usually, three links cut from a chain, for testing.
GROUND-TACKLK 2(>1
handling the heavier shackle at the anchor, leaving the
latter attached in bending and unbending.
When a length of chain is finished it is put into a
hydraulic testing machine and proved.
Swivels, ]M!£ii*k:s, &.c» All chain cables are
made with swivels at 7i, 37|, 82^, and 127^ fathoms, with
shackles at every 15 fathoms from the anchor. Were it
not for the swivels and studs the chain would get full of
kinks.
Shackles are put on so that the rounded part will be for-
ward.
The swivels, it has been found, injure the modern cap-
stans in passing around them, hence in many ships they are
placed in the first and last lengths only. Chain cables
should be marked as follows: at fifteen fathoms one turn
of wire around the stud of the first link forward and abaft
the first shackle, two turns of wire around the stud of the
second link forward and abaft the second shackle and so on.
Shackle I^olts are oblong in section and pass
through similarly shaped holes in the ends of the shackle.
They are kept from dropping out by a wooden pin that
passes through holes in the end of the shackle and. bolt. To
unshackle, strike the end of the bolt opposite the head a
sharp blow with a hammer, this breaks tne wooden pin and
the bolt comes out.
On account of the great strain tending to open the
shackle as it passes around the smaller barrel of the steam
windlass steel pins have been substituted in many cases for
the wooden ones.
In overhauling the chain cables, which should be fre-
quently and carefully done, the pins must be carefully ex-
amined and new ones put in where necessary. The turns
of wire marking the number of the sha(;kle should also be
examined, and renewed if required.
Gretting- Chains on lloai'cl. When lying
in the stream the chains are brought off in scows or
lighters, where they are ranged regularly in alternate
layers fore-and-aft and athwartships, and the bitter end be-
ing passed through one of the vacant hawse-holes they are
got on board and into the lockers by means of deck-tackles
and chain-hooks. When working "with the crew, men are
stationed to stow the chains ana are called tierers. The
cable is paid down a few links at a time, while the tierers
with cham-hooks and a hook-rope rove through a tail-block
at some convenient place above them, in the after part of
the locker, range the chain in regular fieets, using the hook-
rope to form the after bights.
Prior to the stowage of the chains, however, it becomes
necessary to secure the end below, as a preventive from
loss, in the event of being unable to check its outward
WZ GROUND-TACKLE.
passage in veering ; and perhaps the best method for
accomplishing this object is the following : Through a ring-
bolt in the keelson, Fig. 421, Plate 89, the end of the chain
is rove up to an iron roller, attached to a beam of the lower
deck, immediately above — ^the last link of the chain being
curved, in order to fit over a short perpendicular ann on
the surface of the roller, which is kept from turning by a
check-lever, c, having a small tackle attached, d the
event, then, of having to slip, it only becomes necessarv to
haul on the jigger, which permits a revolution of the roUer,
and disengages the link from the arm.
Or the bitter end may secure to a bolt overhead, as in
Fig. 422.
Another very good plan is to have the end secured with
a slip-stopper, Fig. 428 7>, Plate 91, the tongue of which may-
be lashea ao wn. But however the end may be secured, it
should not be at the bottom of the locker, but out clear where
it can be got at when required. This will enable a second
cable to be shackled to tne bitter end of the riding cable
without rousing the entire length out of the locker.
Should the ship be alongside the wharf, chain-shutes,
leading from the wharf through a port abreast the chain
pipes are used. The shute is a strongly -made wooden
trough, sufficiently wide and long for the purpose.
To Bend «. Oower- Cal>le. Keeve a ring-
rope through a sheave iu the cat-head, through the hawse-
hole, and bend it to the chain with a rolling-hitch a short
distance from the end, to which it must be stopped. Rouse
the chain out (using the fore-bowline as a hawse-rope if
convenient), and up to the cat-head, where the armorer
shackles it where it belongs. If the cat-head is far from
the bows, a slip-rope will be required to hang the cable
half-way.
To Bend a Slieet-Cable, Fig. 423, Plate 89,
the anchor being stowed in the waist. Stock the anchor
and lash a snatch-block to the upper arm. Reeve off a ring-
rope through the snatch block, taking one end in through
the sheet hawse-hole, and bend it to the chain, leaving end
enough for shackling.
Place two water-whips on the fore-yard, on the same side
as the chain. After the chain is roused out a certain dis-
tance by the ring-rope, clap one whip on the chain, and
when the first whip tends about up and down, clap on the
second whip. If necessary, fieet the first whip forward
again on the chain as more is paid out. The two whips
support the chain while it is being hauled aft.
Slip-ropes having been previously pointed over the side,
their outboard ends are picked up and passed inboard after
the chain has been shackled, to light up the chain fair for
seizing to the side-bolts. If the slip ropes are passed for a full
GROUND-TACKLE. 203
due before the chain has been roused aft and relied upon to
sustain the chain, they will make the work much heavier,
When the chain is shackled, clap on a back tackle, in
wake of the back-lashing bolt, which is a short distance be-
low the ring of the anchor and in line with the side-bolts,
though heavier. Rouse the bight into place, pass the back-
lashine * and tauten the chain along tne side by clapping
on a deck-tackle inboard. Pass the seizings to the side-
bolts, lighting up the chain with the slip-ropes, then un-
reeve the slip-ropes, unhook the yard-whips and finally the
back-tackle. When the sheet anchors are carried just abaft
the bowers, as on board ships of recent build, the chains
are bent in the same manner as the bower chains.
The sheet-chain should always be bent after the second
bower has been let go, if not previously done. Having bent
it and secured it to the side, as described, it is not unusual
to stopper it inboard, unshackle, leaving the end forward,
and paying the balance of the chain below into the locker,
until required.
The length of chain left bent to the anchor is called a
ganger.
A. Grang-ei* is any comparatively short length of
chain, such as the one above d!escribed, or the length of
cat-chain used in catting the anchors of ram-bowed vessels,
as mentioned further on.
To I3itt a Ohctin Cable, Fig. 424, Plate 90.
Immediately over the bitt-head is placed an eye-bolt, to
which is hooked a single block, having a hook-rope rove
through it. Sufficient slack chain having being roused up,
hook on to a bight and pull it up abaft and over the bitt-
head ; form a cuckold's neck in it, so that the part leading
from aft shall rest on top of the cavil and outside the bitt-
head, the running part being inside and leading down
under the cavil ana so forward : shove the bight thus
formed over the bitt-head, slack down the hook rope and
it will fall in its place. Now rouse the chain taut along
the deck and pay tne slack down into the locker.
To "Weatlier-liitt a Cal3le is to take an
additional turn with it around the cavil or bitt-head.
To Unbitt, as when getting under-way, screw
down the "Mix" stopper, or put on any adequate stopper
forward of the bitts, take off the deck-stoppers, bend on a
hook-rope, rouse up enough slack from aft, and unbitt.
To XS.ang'e a CJliaiix Cable, Fig. 424. Bend
on a hook-rope or a chain whip, according to the size of the
chain, rouse up the requisite quantity, and range by placing
it in parallel lines called fleets, fore and aft the deck be-
tween the bitts and the chain pipes, observing to let the
* In prepariDj^ to let go a waist anchor do not forget to cut the back-Ushing.
Also called an ewow lashing.
204 GROUND-TACKLE.
part leading from the bitts, the running part, be outside of
all, that from the chain pipe being inside; for were it re-
versed, the chain running out would find the last fleet
forming a curve from the bitts, out towards the ship's side,
and in again to the chain pipes, and as the strain came on
it, it would sweep with immense force amidships, injuring
anything that might be in its way, at any rate giving a
violent surge.
Chains are rarely ranged, at present, for anv consider-
able length. If too much chain is ranged it is litely to pay
down over, and foul, the anchor.
When the anchor is let go suddenly, while headway
is still on, to avoid danger, for example, or when anchor-
ing in a strong tide, or fresh breeze, the chain will soon
acquire very great velocity, and if permitted to run too
much at a time it will be found almost impossible to
check ; therefore but few fathoms should be veered at a
time, checking it with the compressor before getting too
much headway.
STOPPERS.
13eclc Stoppei-H, Fig. 427, Plate 91 were formerly
made of plain-laid rope, one fathom in length, when fitted,
and in size one-half that of the cable on which they were
applied. In one end is spliced a hook and thimble, or
thimble alone, which is hooked or shackled to the stopper
ring-bolts in the deck; in the. other end is formed a stopper
knot, with a laniard one-third the size of the stopper, at-
tached with a running eye around the stopper close to the
knot. The laniard is passed from inboard outboard, the
stopper lying inboard of the chain, working aft from the
knot, leaving a fathom of the end to worm forward on the
cable ; the end is then secured by passing the tails around
the links.
Deck stoppers are sometimes fitted of chain, with a
devil's claw, large enough to receive one of the links of the
cable, over which it is placed, and retained by a small iron
pin, running through both parts of the claw. In the other
extremity a slip-hook and ring are attached, by which it is
secured to the stopper-bolts of the deck. Fig. 428. The
length is about four feet and a half, and the size depends
upon the class of vessel for which it is required.
For wire-rope deck stopper see Fig. 50, Plate 15. The
laniard is passed in the same way. Wire-rope deck stoppers
are the only kind supplied at present.
H/ingr Stopper's are very useful and neat. The
bights are passed over the cable abaft the ring-bolt, both
ends are rove through the ring, and dogged around the
cable forward of the bolts; the ends may be tapered, coach-
GROUND-TACKLE. 205
whipped, and laid up in a square sennit. Fig. 429, Plate 91,
shows a ring-stopper of plain-laid rope.
The ring-stopper above described for securing cables
must not be confounded with the rin^-stopper used to
secure the ring of the anchor at the cathead.
Bitt Stoi>pei-. Fitted similar to the ring stopper,
ends coach- whipped, &c.,the bight going over the bitt in-
stead of through a ring-bolt in the deck.
Check Stoppers are small strands of old rope
which secure -the cable to the ring-bolts in the deck, and,
parting as the strain comes on tnem, check the cable in
running out.
The Slip-Stopper, Fig. 42K (a and 6), Plate 91.
This is fitted with a crane-hook and shackle, and is found
very convenient when working cables, as in clearing hawse,
surging, &c.
]\i;ix'>^ Stopper consists of an iron casting like a
hawse-pipe, set in a strong oak frame-work on the after-
part of the manger. A thick and strong slab of iron,
scored out on the under part to -admit a vertical link of the
chain, moves up and down in a groove, in the after-part of
the frame- work, by means of a screw placed vertically over
it. This stopper is exceedingly convenient, but the ship is
never allowea to ride by it. The controller replaces it in
modem ships.
ITig-litiiigr Stoppers. Though not belonging to
this portion of the work, we may mention here Jightiuf/-
stoppers. These are kept at hand, ready for use at any
time, particularly when going into action. They consist of
a pair of dead-eyes or buirs-eyes, rope-strapped, with tails,
and a laniard rove. Fig. 431, Plate 93.
Each end of the laniard is fitted with a bight, so that a
jigger may be hooked into either end, the other end becom-
ing a standing part.
Stoppers with which to hold on, while hauling taut
a brace, sheet, or other rope, are fitted with a hook and
thimble at one end, or they are otherwise secured to eve, or
ring bolts near the rope for which they are required. In
using them a half -hitch is formed around the rope, which
after the rope is hauled taut through it, is jambea, and the
tail wormed along in the lay of the rope ; this will hold it
while being belayed. Fig. 74, Plate 10.
Iron Compile SHors are used generally under the
chain pipes. They check the chain with certainty, and are
easy to handle.
iron compressors are of various kinds. The oldest and
best-known pattern is that of the curved iron arm, one end
of which works on*a pivot-bolt, so as to permit the curve to
sweep the lower orince of the chain-pipe. The other ex-
tremity has an eye formed in it, to which is hooked a small
tackle. When veering, if the order is given to haul to the
5J06 GROUND-TACKLE.
compressor, the tackle is hauled upon by the men stationed
there, and the chain is compressed by the iron arm against
the side of the chain-pipe.
Plate 92, Fig. 430, shows the elevation of the compressor,
in which
a is the chain-pipe.
6, chock let down through the deck (c) to the beams d d.
g, bent lever pivoting on bolt /, which, bv the use of
a tackle, is made to nip the chain against tne pipe and
beam. The cable has been found to force down the com-
pressor and the bolt (/), which has caused the introduction
of the strap (e).
m, cartings let down between the beams to form a bed
for the iron pipe (a).
The plan represents (Fig. 430 6), the underside of the
deck and beams ; fc, head of bolt (/ of elevation), on which
the compressor revolves.
A, a fan or balancing arm worked in the compressor to
assist the strap (e) in keeping the compressor in place.
i, an iron plate on the under side of the beam to form a
hard surface for the fan to work upon.
A. Coiiti^oUer (Fi^. 441) is a cast-iron block having
a swallow in its upper side in the shape of a link of the chain
cable. Controllers are bolted to the deck, forward of the
bitts, and also in large ships forward of the chain locker
pipe. The cable, while Ivmg in the controller, tends of
itself, to drop into the hollow slot, and while there is held
by one of its links, which lies flat in the hollow, but at the
bottom of the hollow is a jog or short lever arm, which can
be raised by a longer lever, and so lift the cable out of the
slot when it runs out, imtil the lever is let go and the jog
dropped.
To g"^^ tlie A.iicliors olFthe 1>o>vh« Bend
the chains first, hook the stock-tackle to a strap around the
upper arm of the stock and to a bolt on the opposite side of
the forecastle, and haul it taut.
Hook the bill-tackle to a strap around the inner arm of
the anchor and to a bolt across the deck, setting it taut
also.
The stock and bill-tackles are stout luffs.
Single the shank painter, and secure it at the mark
where it is to be when the anchor is ready for letting go.
Come up the shank, stock, and ring lashings, or ring rope,
pry the anchor off the bill-board with the anchor bar, easing
away the stock and bill-tackles as necessary.
Tiie ring-stopper, which holds the ring of the anchor to
the cathead, is not touched.
A fore-and-aft tackle on the pee of the anchor keeps it
from scending forward while getting it off the bows.
To let g-o an A^nchoi*. The anchor being off the
bows, with chain bitted (bitt pin in) and clear for running,
GROUND-TACKLE. 207
is held in place by the ring stopper and shank painter. Vig.
436, Plate 94.
The former, which is of chain, passes through the ring
of the anchor, and the last link is placed over a hinged
tumbler on the cathead, maintained in an upright position
by means of a hook-lever extending across tne cathead, a,
llg. 436. The shank painter secures in a similar manner
at the bill port. To each of these a trigger may be attached,
as in Fig. 432, Plate 03, fitted with a small bar leading to
the arms of a swivel, worked by a lever shipped in the
mortice c. Hauling on the lever disengages both stoppers
at the same instant. Or the levers holding the hinged
tumblers, a. Fig. 436, are knocked out of position by men
stationed for the purpose, at the order, ^'Let go the star-
board {OT port) anchor I"
In either case remove first the safety-pin, b, Fiff. 436.
The order for letting go is always preceded by the
caution, ^^ stand clear of the starboard (or port) chain r^ and
sometimes by the order to " stream the buoy ! "
See hands stationed at the compressor, which is hove
back.
Before letting go anchors, it is frequently necessary to
run in the guns directly underneath them on the gun
deck.
To "bi'ing- a eliSLiii to tlie Capstan. Bouse
up enough slack from the locker to unbitt, having the chain
well secured forward of the bitts.
When unbitted, haul the bight of the chain around the
rollers placed so as to give the chain a fair lead from the
hawse pipe to the capstan ; thence about half way around
the same in the score of the ribs, or wildcat, and back
around similar rollers to the chain pipe. With the steam
windlass, the chain is always brought to. Try the engines
to see if in working-order. The chain can be held by lock-
ing the wildcat and applying the brake.
To heave up an A^nchor. The capstan being-
rigged, capstan bars shipped and swiftered in, tne cable is
stoppered before all, then unbitted and ''broitght to'' the
capstan.
Man the bars! Heave taut/ Take off the stoppers and
Heave around ! As the cable comes above the water, if
muddy, it is cleaned with a hose led from the head pump.
Sand the deck if necessary, in case the chain is very
muddy, to prevent the men from slipping.
By the capstan are stationed the gunner's gang, with
chain hooks, to light the slack chain around the rollers and
toward the chain pipe ; some hands are also provided with
pinch bars to knock the links out from the ribs or wildcat
of the capstan if they jam, as is sometimes the case.
*^08 GROrXD-TACKLK.
The cable as it comes in is paid below, or ranged readv
for running.
When a vessel has two anchors down, in heaving in on
one cable, it becomes necessary to ** veer to" on the other.
To do this, if the veering cable is the weather one and in a
stiff breeze, veer around the bitts, takinc^ off the forward
stoppers and slacking the laniards of tne after ones, or
taking off all stoppers and tending the controller and com-
pressors.
But if the veering cable be the lee one, it may be pre-
viously unbitted, ana veered from the locker.
When all the slack cable is hove in and the chain leads
right up and down from the hawse-hole to the anchor, the
officer of the forecastle reports, Up and down, sir I When
not quite up and down, if circumstances seem to require it,
he may report, Short stay, sir!
A cable is said to tend in a certain direction : thus the
cable *Hends broad off the starboard bow ;" and when this
occurs so as to make a short nip of the chain, and cause a
heavy heave, it should be reported, as a change of the
wheel, or in the disposition of the sail, or a turn back with
the engine (as when on a windward tide the ship has over-
run her cham), may bring it to tend right ahead and ease
the strain on the capstan.
When the anchor is clear of the ground, report Anchxyr'
is aweigh ! and when the stock is visible, Anchor in sight!
Clear {or foul) anchor !
And when it is up high enough for catting — The anchor
is up, sir ! Or direct the boatswain to pipe, Belay ! The
order from the quarter-deck will then be. Hook the cat!
Fig. 437, Plate 05.
The cat having been previously overhauled down, the
block is hooked to the ring of the anchor by a hand on the
stock aided by the cat-back. When hooked, set well taut
on the cat-fall, and caution them on the gun-deck to be
ready for surging the chain ; then report. All hooked with
the cat ! As soon as this is made known, the order is given,
Haul taut ! Walk away with the cat ! The chain is
surged* and the anchor walked up to the cat-head; at the
proper time the boatswain pipes belay, when the order is
given to Hook the fish! As soon as the cat is up the ring-
stopper is passed. When the fish is reported. Haul taut!
Walk away with the fish I and when the fish is belayed,
pass the shank painter.
SiTi'gring' tlie Chain. When, as very frequently
occurs on heaving in, the chain comes in muddy, it must be
ranged on deck instead of paying it below in the lockers;
thus fifteen, twenty, or more fathoms of chain may accumu-
* The proper order is: ''Surge the chain!" It is a common mistake to give
the order: " Veer the chaiji!'' which is quite another thing.
Plate 93
Fi%.434-
GROUND-TACKLE. 209
late on the deck. Now when the order is given to surge,
the controller is hove up and the anchor swings to the cat.
Should the cat-fall part at this time, or other similar accident
happen, the anchor would go down, carrying with it the en-
tire range of chain; and if on board a steamer she may, by
that time, be going ahead under a full head of steam. There-
fore, in place of relying entirely on any form of controller,
clap a stopper on the chain, allowing a fathom or so of
slack for cattinj^. For this purpose an iron nipper securing
the cable to a rin^-bolt, or a slip-stopper, is very convenient.
This precaution insures you against accident, and very
little practice serves to enable one to stopper at the proper
link to give slack chain enough to allow the anchor to go to
the cat-nead.
Cat-F^alls. Begin with the standing part and reeve
the end down through the forward sheave oi the cat-head,
through the forward sheave of the cat-block, placed so that
the bill of the hook will point inboard, and so continue till
rove full, when timber-hitch the end around the cat-head.
In lar^e ships it is found convenient to place the block in
the bndle-port for reeving the fall, after which round it up
and trice back the hook, if not wanted immediately.
Cat-BaeltH are temporary, and for the purpose of
facilitating the hooking of the cat. A small rope is rove
through a block tailed on to one of the fore-tack bumpkin
stays, or an eye-bolt conveniently placed over the bows, and
bent to a small eye-bolt or span on the forward cheek of the
cat-block, the fall leading inboard. Another one may be
bent to the back of the hook. With the assistance of these,
the cat is hooked.
A. Fisli-Bacls: is for the same purpose, and is bent
to an eye on the back of the hook.
A^nclior Ti-ip-liooli. Fig. 429& represents a sec-
tion of the trip-hook m use on board the Fish Commission
steamer Albatross, and is essentially the same as that gen-
erally used in the merchant marine. A, represents a link
whicn is made fast to the middle of the shank of the anchor,
the weight of which acts in the direction of the arrow.
From the figure, it will be seen that the weight presses the
hook, B, against the cam, C, which, in turn, is held in place
by the lever, D, the lever resting against the bolt, E.
The arrangement is attached to the lower block of the
anchor tackle by the pin, F, which allows it to swing
freely.
The tripping-line, G, is made fast on the forecastle, with
sufficient slack to allow the anchor to be lowered to the
desired i)oint for letting go.
To detach the anchor, slack away the tackle until the
tripping-line, Q, acts on the lever, D, releasing the hook, B,
and link, A.
The same style of trip-hook is also used in the place of
210 GROUND-TACKLE.
the cat-hook, where an anchor is catted and fished in the
ordinary way, so that the anchor may be let go from the
cat without waiting to pass the ring-stopper.
Fish I>avit. The present plan in the navy is to
have a boom which attaches to the forward part of the
foremast by a goose-neck. The boom is rigged as in Fig.
435, Plate 94.
A is the topping-lift, hooked to a band around the lower
mast, near the futxock-band.
B, the fish tackle.
C C, rays.
See also Fig. 437, Plate 95.
The hauling part of the fish-fall may either lead through
a sheave in the Doom, or a block on the boom, thence to a
block hooked to the mast-band, and on deck.
By this purchase (the fish) the flukes of the anchor are
raised until up to the bill-board, when the shank-painter is
passed. This is made of chain ; when passed, the chain
encloses the shank ; the end, rove through a ring in the side
or waterways, is belayed to an iron cleat at the side. The
shank-painter being secured, the purchase is unrigged, the
fish-davit taken inboard, and the anchor now hangs by the
ring-stopper and shank-painter, and is ready for letting
go.
If the shank-painter is eased oflf so that the anchor hangs
by the ring-stopper, it is then said to be cock-billed.
Iron fish-davits similar in form to boat-davits, and
stepped near the bill-board, have taken the place of the
wooden fish-boom. A similarly rigged boom, however, is
now fitted on all vessels not having yards.
Cattiiiof and Fisliing" a Sheet ^^nchor-
Stowed t^oi'^vai'd. Modern vessels have frequently
tw^o cat-heads, one abaft the other on each bow, the after
one for the sheet anchor. In catting the sheet, hook the
forward cat; surge, heave the stock clear of the water,
and hook on the after cat. If the fish-davit is not a mov-
able one, the fishing will have to be done with a tackle
from the fore-yard.
Chatting- ^^nehoi-ss; on I Joai*d ^i*iiioi»e<l
A"es!Kels. In ships built with rani-bows it is difficult to
heave the anchor up high enough to hoox the cat. That
difficulty is met by the use of a cut and ground chain, of
which the following is a description:
A length of small chain is shackled to the ring or bal-
ancing-band of the anchor and stopped along the first
length of the cable; this is called the (jvonnd chain. A
corresponding chain reeves through a block at the cat-head,
styled the cat chain. Before weighing, the lower end of
the cat chain is taken through the hawse-pipe, and when
the end of the ground chain is hove in, the cat and ground
chains are connected, the cat purc^hase (which hooks into
,S—. S^^-
(lookinq down)
GROUND-TACKLE. 211
the upper end of the cat chain) is manned and hauled taut ;
the bight of the small chain being eased out of the hawse-
pipe, ** Walk away with the cat I''
British turret ships are supplied with Martin's anchors,
which lie flat on the deck wnen stowed, stock and flukes
being then in the same horizontal plane.
To afford a right ahead, flre from the turret and avoid
unnecessary anchor gear, these anchors have at their
balancing point on the shank a shackle to which the ground
chain is attached.
A single iron davit with the cat chain rove and con-
nected (when the anchor is hove up) to the ground chain
places trie anchor horizontally in its position on the bow.
The davit works on a hinge at its case, and stows flat on
deck, a temporary derrick being rigged forward of the
foremast to raise tne davit when required.
To Secure a Bovver tox* Sea. Having
passed the ring-stopper and shank-painter, proceed to ring
up the anchor by swinging the flsh-boom to plumb the cat-
head, hooking the 'fish between the stock and ring and
pulling up on the flsh tackle. Take through the slack of
the ring-stopper, which is rove through a ring like the shank-
painter, ana secure it around its cleat for a full due. Hook
the stock and bill tackles as in getting the anchor off the
bow, haul on the stock tackle to bring the lower end of the
stock clear of the side ; then go to the bill-tackle and rouse
the anchor up on the bill-board, and so to each tackle
altematelv till the stock is up and down and the inner arm
lying on the bill-board, when the slack of the shank-painter
is taken through and the lashings passed. It is better to haul
alternately on the stock and bill tackles as described, as
this prevents the palm of the anchor coming in with a
surge, which would occur if the stock were hove up and
down at the flrst pull.
Should there be no fish-boom to ring up the anchor, reeve
a stout rope {not the cat-fall) through the sheaves of the
cat-head and the ring of the anchor, secure one end to the
cat-head, and clap a tackle on the other end.
If a lonff passage is contemplated, the chain is unbent
and stowea below when the ship is off soundings, and the
hawse-bucklers are closed and secured. Besides the ring-
stopper, a good lashing is passed through the ring and over
the cat-head, also one around the stock and through a ring
in the side.
Foul A.ncli.oi'. The question of clearing a foul
anchor is one which requires good judgment, and one in
which the circumstances may vary greatly. As good a
general rule as any is to hook the cat (if necessarv with a
strap) to whichever end of the anchor is first signted. It
will often happen that there is but one foul turn of the
chain, under tne stock. In that case, if the cat is hooked in
•^12 GROUND-TACKLE.
the ring, with a turn taken in the opposite direction to that
of the chain around the stock, the strain on the cat after
surging will throw the chain clear.
If the anchor comes up ivith the cable foul of the stocky
and ring uppermost, and in such a manner that it cannot be
cleared as above stated, then cat as usual; in surging the
chain leave plenty of slack chain outside for working. Now
clear the chain with slue-ropes on the anchor stock and slip-
ropes on the chain. It may be necessary to unshackle in
clearing ; if so, hang the cable before unshackling, clear
the turns and shackle again.
If the cat cannot be hooked in the rinr/, then hook it to a
stout strap around the shank, just under the stock, cat and
proceed as before, passing the ring-stopper.
Anchor comes up crown first : Cat tne crown by hooking
the cat to a strap around the crown, and pass the ring-
stopper over the crown, unhooking the cat. Now clear, if
necessary by uiishackling the chain, having plenty of slip-
ropes to take its weight. Hook the cat in the ring"^ and the
fisn in the arm, take the strain on the cat, ease away the
ring-stopper, and haul away on cat and fish.
It might be advisable, with the anchor coming up crown
first, to hook the fish first to a strap on the crown,- nauling
on it till the ring could be reached to hook the cat, then
easing (and unhooking) the fish, catting the anchor, clear-
ing the turns and fi'^hing it. The whole depends upon the
circumstances, as above stated ; and the latter operation in
particular, presupposes that there is not too much drift to
the fish, and that the fish gear is reliable, it being smaller
than the cat. *
For anchor work, "clear hawse breeches "are made of
painted canvas, wooden soled at the feet, and slung with
spans long enough to clear the man's head.
Marking the cable so as to know exactly how much
to surge lor catting saves noise and delay, but greater
allowance must be made when *'foul anchor** is re-
ported.
liuo^'s and Bixoy-Hopes. Buoys attached
by their buoy-ropes to the crown, point out at all times the
situation of the anchor. The can buov is in the form of a
cone, it floats base uppermost, and the rope is attached
to the apex. The nun buoy is largest at the centre,
tapering at the ends. The latter is in general use. Fig.
434, Plate 93.
The size of buoy-ropes is one-third of the cable. The
length varies, for it is shortened or lengthened according
to the depth of the water in which you will drop the
anchor.
It is bent to the crown of the anchor, by taking a half-
hitch around one arm, and putting the running eye in its
end over the other arm ; or a clove-hitch is formed over the
GROUND-TACKLK. 21 3
crown, and the end stopped along the shank, or to its own
part. Or,
Attach a large thimble to the crown of the anchor^ by a
stout strap of the size of the buoy-rope (one-third the
cable). Through this thimble is rove the buoy-rope, both
parts leading up to the buoy. The advantage of this is,
that the buoy-rope may be smaller, and when necessary, a
stout rope of the required size, may be, by it. rove through
this thimble in the crown of the anchor, tnereby afford-
ing a greater purchase than that of a single rope^ for
weifijiing.
The only objection to this plan is, that the two parts of
the small buoy-rope will become hawser-laid, and will not
uhreeve. But this may be, in a great measure, remedied
by having one part plain-laid ana the other back-handed
rope.
Sometimes a buoy will not watch, from its having filled
with water^ or from the buoy-rope bein^ too short, particu-
larly in a tide-way. By this is meant, that it does not float
on the surface of the water. In the former case it will be
necessary to bleed it, that is, to let the water out. In the
latter, to lengthen the buoy-rope.
Buoys are generally kept, one in each of the fore
channels for common use. Spare ones are kept in the
hold.
It was a very Rood rule, that an ^anchor should never be
let go without a buoy attached. But since the screw pro-
peller has been introduced, they have been less used,
throu(|[h fear of fouling the screw, though the end of a
chain is always buoyed m slipping.
To Picls Tip IMooring-s from which the vessel
has previously slipped. Stand in and reduce sail to top-
sails, or slow down if under steam, lower a boat, coil away
a hawser in her and let her pick up the buoy-rojje of the
chain, attaching the hawser to it. Tack off snore if neces-
sary till the boat has picked up the buoy, then stand in and
round to, to windward of the buoy, signal the boat to pull
alongside. Take the hawser-end in through the hawse-
pipe, and run it in. As the chain comes in, make sure of
enough to allow for bitting, clap on stoppers forward of the
bitts ; bitt, and stopper abaft ; then shackle as soon as pos-
sible.
To ]M[a.ke Fast to a ]Mooi'iii«: Bixo^.
In some harbors moorings are planted for vessels to ride by,
•in order that they may occupy in swinging as little space
as possible.
On approaching the buoy, a boat may be sent out with
the hawser to make fast and return, or she may leave the
ship with the end of the hawser, just after clewing up.
Warp the ship up by the hawser to the buoy, unshackle the
bower-chain from its anchor and shackle to the buoy, veer
5il4 GROUND-TACKX.E.
a few fathoms and put a bull rope on the buoy from the end
of the bowsprit to keep it clear of the stem.
The boat which carries the warp should contain a maul,
mooring-shackle, spare earing, ana a tail-block. The earing
is used to secure the shackle to ^uard against losing it over-
board while shackling. The tail-block, secured to the ring
of the buoy, is for a hauling line to get the chain in position
for shackling.
When picking up moorings, have an anchor ready for
letting go, in case of accident.
I^^-ing* at Wiiio[-l^ A^nclior^ to Veer
Cal:>le9 Blo^wing- Hard. Veer away, by short
drifts at a time, through the compressors and laniards of
the deck-stoppers. If it is blowing a gale, with a heavy
sea, it would be necessary to veer with a deck-tackle. A
ghip in this case, would double bitt before veering, if re-
quired, and send down her spars, and let go other anchors
as necessary.
^Wliv v^e Veer Cable in Heavy
^Weatner. It is a prevalent but fallacious notion,
that^ even when used in deep water and with a severe
strain, the curvature or deflection of chain is considerable,
and that near the anchor it rests upon the ^ound undis-
turbed by either the pitching motion of the ship, or the ten-
sion which she causes. At a testing strain of six hundred
and thirty pounds per eighth-inch of circumference, the
utmost deflection was found to be only ten feet upon a
length of one hundred fathoms, in ten fathoms water, with
the hawse-hole a fathom above the surface ; the diameter
of the chain being one and one-half inches, and the strain
forty and one-half tons.
In a common gale, which would produce this strain, not
one link of the one hundred fathoms of chain will quietly
rest upon the ground ; on the contrary, it will be found by
the experiments on a depth of ten fathoms, that 127.98
fathoms of chain are required to form a semi-catenary*
when suspended in air, and 137.03 fathoms when in water.
If the strain be less, the curvature will be greater, and no
danger need be apprehended ; but in a severe gale, the
force of which may be supposed equal to, or nearly equal
to, a breaking strain, a long scope is the only way to pre-
vent a fatal result ; and any man in charge of a ship at
anchor, with the necessary quantity of chain cable on
board, and space astern to allow him to make use of it, but
who neglects to do so, must be considered the author of his
own misfortune, whether it amount to the loss of his
anchor or the loss of his ship.
To Increase tlie Value of a Liong-
* A catenary is the curve fonned by a flexible chain of unlfonn density and
thickness when allowed to bang freely between two points.
GROUND-TACKLE. 215
Scope. To increase the deflection of the cable and bring
the strain on the anchor, more in a horizontal direction, a
heavy kedja^e may be shackled or lashed to the bight of the
riding cable just before veering for bad weather. This is
similar to ^^ backing" an anchor.
ILietting- Gro A-dditional .A.iichoi*s. In
preparing to ride out a gale at anchor, if the holding-
ground is even moderately good, a ship will hold on longer
and certainljr ride easier with all her chain on two anchors,
than by letting go all four anchors with comparatively
short scopes. Circumstances may compel a ship to depend
for safety upon the number of anchors down, as in the case
of a crowded harbor with insuflScient room to veer ^ but
with more than two anchors down, unless systematically
laid out in fine weather, there is little probability of the
strain being equally divided. Vessels anchored in this way
have snapped their cables onejafter another from the effect
of the sudden jerks upon a short scope such as a hundred
fathoms would be in a gale of great severity.
Having plenty of room astern, and with four cables
each 120 fathoms long, veer to 60 fathoms on the anchor
down, say the starboard bower, let go the port bower.
Lengthen each bower chain by the sheet chain on its side,
and veer two cables on the starboard and one and a half on
the port bower. There remains on board one-half the port
sheet-cable available for adding 30 fathoms to each anchor
down.
To use three anchors, the distribution of chain would
be : starboard bower (the anchor down), with 90 fathoms of
starboard sheet, the port bower lengthened by the remain-
ing 30 fathoms of tne starboard sheet chain, and a whole
cable on the port sheet. Having veered to CO fathoms on
the starboard bower let go the port bower, veer 30 fathoms,
and let eo the port sheet. Veering to the full scope, the
starboard bower would have one and three-quarter cables,
?ort bower, one and a quarter, and port sheet, one cable,
'he arrangement assumes, 1st, that a scope of less than
100 fathoms is of comparatively little value: 2d, that 60
fathoms would probably be veered in any case oef ore letting
go a second anchor ; 3d, that the anchors should have as
nearly equal a scope as the second condition admits.
For a modern steamer with well-proportioned ground-
tackle, good holding ground and plenty of room astern, the
plan of using two anchors with tlie longest possible scope
IS considered the best.
Ua^ekin^ an Anchor. When the holding ground
is bad an anchor may be "backed" bv another.
In backing an anchor during a gale after it is down, the
backing hawser or chain is taten round the riding cable
and secured loosely in order that it may slide down and
along it when the backing anchor is let go. A large shackle
*^iO GROUND-TACKLE.
might be used for this purpose on the riding cable, and the
backing chain shackled to it.
To Back an .^nehoi* i^rhen P*repai*liigr
for €L Girale. Heave in or veer away on the anchor
down, say starboard bower, till you bring the fourth shackle
some few fathoms abaft the bitts ; stopper, unshackle, and
unbitt ; pass the end out and shackle it to the ring of the
port bower, which has been eased down to the hawse-hole ;
off stopper, and ride by port bower cable, with its anchor at
the bows until the gale comes on, and then veer it down to
the ground. Should the ^ale pass off, you can hai\g the
starboard bower cable outside by the clear-hawse pendant,
and replace both in their original position.
If on veering, to sixty fathoms on the port bower, you
found the gale still increasing, shackle the remaining surty
fathoms of the starboard bower to it ; let go starboara sheet
anchor, and veer away on both. Finally, if compelled by
the violence of the storm to make the utmost of your re-
sources, divide the remaining sheet chain between the port
bower and starboard sheet. There will then be sixty
fathoms between the starboard bower and the backing
anchor ; two hundred and forty fathoms on the port bower,
and one hundred and eighty on the starboard sheet.
Anchors have been oacKed by vessels on a lee shore,
with some of the guns.
Steaming' up to A^yioIioith. When riding out
a gale at anchor, steamers relieve their ground-tackle by
turning the eng^es. • But care must be taken not to over-
run the cables, as in that case, when the ship goes astern to
a fresh squall, the violent strain on the chains would prob-
ably part them or start the anchors.
Wnen a ship has let go two or more anchors, in a gale,
she should weigh her anchors as soon as the gale moderates ;
much trouble will be saved bv it.
A. Collier'M Fm'cliaNe. In heavy heaving, a
strap may be put on the cable at the water's edge, hook the
cat in it and assist in that manner. This is Known as a
collier's purchase. The fish may be clapped on to the cat-
fall and taken to the capstan.
To ^.ssist in Ilea v.v Heaving-* Put a large
block on the cable, near the hawse-hole, reeve a hawser
through it, belav one end to the mainmast or bitts, and
clap a deck-tackle on the other end ; or take it to the after-
capstan.
Some vessels (brigs and small sloops) use the deck-tackle
entirely in weighing their anchors.
In using a deck-tackle, particularly in a large ship, much
time is saved by having a whip from forward to assist in
overhauling it.
To ^^nchoi* toy the Stem. This may be
necessary for a steamer in a narrow harbor, where the
GROUND-TACKLE. 217
vessel is too long to turn, or in a stream where there is no
room ior swinging to the tide. The British at the battle of
the Nile anchored in this way to avoid raking broadsides in
rounding to; the French also anchored by the stem at
Sebastopol.
As snips are not always provided with appliances for
anchoring in this way, it would be well to use the stream
anchor and chain, or a hawser, in performing the evolution,
if it will stand the strain exi)ected.
Get up the stream-chain, rouse it out through the after-
port, haul it forward outside of all till abreast of the hatch
where the anchor is stowed, then hoist out the anchor,
shackle the chain, and let go with a strap and squilgee, or
ease the anchor down to the bottom with the bight of a
hawser.
Or, transport the stream-anchor to the cat-head or
stem, as may be most convenient, shackle the chain there
and let go.
To use a heavier anchor, rouse up the sheet-chain from
below, pass it through the after-port, naul the end forward
by a ring-rope to the sheet-anchor and shackle. Bange the
intendea scope of chain on deck. In the absence oi after-
bitts, ring-bolts, &c., have plenty of stoppers and lashings
passed; a stout hawser from the forward bitts, with a
couple of turns taken round the mainmast, will relieve the
compressor of some of the strain when the end of the scope
is reached ; the cable itself might be taken around the
mizzen-mast. Stop the engine, or clew up and furl in good
time, and check the cable as much as possible in running
out.
In all cases of anchoring by the stern, or with springs
from aft, use slip-ropes to avoid injury to the rudder
or screw.
To Anchor with. a. Spring-. Rouse up the
stream-chain (or a hawser), haul it aft, as in anchoring by
the stem, and thence through the after-port forward, secure
the spring to the bower. Keeping the bower-chain bent ;
then let go the bower. Now, by setting taut the stream-
chain and veering on the cable, the ship's broadside is
sprung around, chips may be sprung broadside to the
wind, in warm climates, for the purpose of better ventila-
tion ; or in engagements at ancnor, to bring the guns to
bear on various points.
Using a spring from the bower anchor or cable, for the
purpose of getting a ship's broadside to bear steadily on any
object, can never be equal to the steadiness acquired by
using a second anchor, with a stream-cable or hawser. A
spring is at all times little to be relied on, compared with a
stem anchor, and after it becomes dark, a spring will much
decrease the certainty of gun practice. If a ship has a
good scope of cable with one anchor ahead and tne other
^18 GROUND-TACKLE.
astern, rather tautly moored, and her broadside bearing
well on the object, there will be little fear of her sheering
about much. But should it be requisite to fire at night by
previous bearings, then, to make the practice more certain,
it would be well to have two kedges, with two good, strong
hawsers laid out on the off side, one on the bow and the
other on the quarter ; the hawser from aft being attached
to the anchor on the bow, and the one from forward to the
anchor on the quarter ; these two hawsers crossing each
other at a good angle, with as much scope as possible, well
bowsed taut, will insure the direction oi^the guns.
THE ''SARATOGA" AT THE BATTLE ON LAKE
CHAMPLAIN.
As the success of the " Saratoga," in this action, was
mainly due to the superior seamanship of her officers, as
evinced by the manner of working her kedges and hawsers,
a brief description of that part of the action may be in-
structive, since we are told that the " Confiance " (English),
with but one spring on her cable, got just so far round as to
hang while exposed to a raking, while the " Saratoga" was
*^ entirely successful, springing her broadside successively
on ©very vessel wearing the British flag."
The American vessels had each its stream-anchor hung
over the stem, the cable bent ready for use ; and besides
the usual springs, the "Saratoga" had a kedge planted
broad off each bow, the hawser of each leading in tnrou^h
the quarter ports, the bights hanging in the water. In tne
midst of the fight, on firing the only gun (a carronade) re-
maining mounted in the starboard battery of the " Saratoga,"
the navel bolt broke and the g^n fiew down the main hatcn.
The attempt was then made to wind the ship. Fig. 433,
Plate m.
To this end the stream-anchor astern was let go, and
clapping on the starboard quarter line, the ship was roused
over to the kedge on that side ; a line had been bent to the
bight of the stream-cable, and she now lay with her stem
to the raking broadside of the ' * Linnet " (position 2, Fig.
433, Plate 93), being for a brief space in a critical position,
but dipping the port quarter line under the bows, it was
passed aft to the starboard quarter, the ship's stem sprimg
to the westward, and the port battery brought to bear on
the enemy.
Havixigr ancliorecl ^with a sprtxig' to the
stern, to heave vxp. If the ship is stillriding by
the stem cable, heave in the bower, veer away the stern
cable, set the spanker, and wind the ship. Hang the
stem cable outside (or stopper it) ; pass a stout hawser
out of the sheet hawse-hole ; pass the end aft, outside of
OROUND-TACKLE. 219
everything, and bend it to the stern cable at the nearest
shackle. Unshackle, and let the cable go: man the
hawser, and walk the cable in through the hawse-hole.
When taut in, clap a deck-tackle on it, take the bower
cable to the capstan and heave round. Walk away with
the deck-tackle as the bower chain comes in. When the
anchor is up, unshackle or unbend the spring and haul it
inboard out of the way.
rFo Slip SI. OliAin. In preparing to slip, put a
buoy-rope on the chain, stout enough to weigh it, lead
the Duoy-rope out through the hawse-pipe and to the fore-
chains, where it is made fast to a ' smaller line, equal to
the depth of water, and bent on to the buoy. The buoy
sustaining only the weight of the small line, can then
watch properly.
Stopper the cable forward of the bitts, or heave down
the forward compressor ; have the shackle well abaft the
bitts. Unshackle, stream the buoy, and slip by cutting the
stopper or heaving up the compressor.
In slipping, give a turn or two of the propeller astern
before starting ahead, to ensure clearing the buoy-rope.
Stand clear of the end of the chain as it runs out and
see that it does not f ouL
CHAPTER XV.
CAPSTAN STEAM WINDLASS -STEERING QEAR.
Tlie Oappjtan. The mechanical power employed
in ships to lieave in the cable, and thereby raise the anchor,
is a modification of the wheel and axle ; it is technically de-
nominated a capstan, on(» portion of which, called ihe bar-
rel, around which the rope is wound, answering to the axle
of a mechanical machine ; the other part, the head with the
bars, being analogous to the wheel. To set this machine in
motion, a moving power (the crew or steam) is applied to
the wheel, and the rope being by this means wrapped around
the barrel of the capstan, the weight or cable is raised. The
cable itself comes to the capstan in all modem forms of
that power. Formerly, however, cables were connected to
the capstan by means of a rope or chain, styled a messengeVy
which did pass around the capstan and was made to unite
itself firmly to the cable by means of nippers.
The messenger,' which may still be seen in use on old-
fashioned capstans, is commonly a rope or chain formed
into a long loop, and, when of rope, long enough to allow
of three or four turns around the barrel of tne capstan,
and then for each part to reach to a vertical roller in the
manger, where the ends are united to form the loop re-
quired. This loop, moving around the roller and capstan,
when the latter is set in motion, draws the cable inboard
and aft when united to it by the nippers. When a chain
messenger is used its links work over studs placed around
the barrel of the capstan. A rope messenger goes around
the barrel itself ana increases the length required by three
or four turns around the barrel, which have to be taken to
prevent slipping.
A frigate is usually fitted with a double capstan, the
upper barrel being on the spar deck, the lower on the main
deck, on which the hawse-holes are also placed. Connect-
ing " drop pauls," or pins, connect the upper with the lower
capstan.
The holes in the head of the capstan are termed pigeon-
holes. Thev receive the capstan bars which work the
capstan. To secure these bars, holes have been bored
220
"0=^=TT
rj
^ip
13
CAPSTAN — STEAM WINDLASS — STEERING GEAR. 221
through the head of the capstan and through the bars and
pins placed in them. At present the capstan bars are
usually kept in place only by a rope wound around their
outer ends, joining them together and called a swiftering
line.
The drumrhead is the circular top of the capstan, in
which are the pigeon-holes.
Pauls are stops which are fitted so as to drop from the
sides of the capstan against apaul-rim or rackety to prevent
the recoil of the capstan.
The ribs or sides of the capstan are termed whelps.
Fig. 439, Plate 06, represents the American capstan, the
chain being taken directly without the use of the messenger.
Fig. 440, Plate 90, shows Brown's patent capstan.
6, elevation of the lower capstan with fittings at the
lower part of it formed of iron, the ribs or vnld cats, g g,
in it, acting like teeth or sprockets to clasp the cable,
similar to the sprocket-wheel with studs, as shown, i?. Fig.
439.
Plate 96, of the common capstan.
c, elevation of a friction roller, round which the cable is
wound, as shown on the plan, three or four being used as
marked.
dy of the plan, shows the controller for stopping the
cable. See also Fig. 441.
hy the cable leading to the hawse-hole. The method of
bringing the cable to the capstan may be traced on the
plan ; the links shown in dotted lines being those in contact
with the ribs (gg) of the elevation.
The "W^indlaHH used in small vessels is a capstan
with the barrel worked horizontally, the power bein^ ap-
plied by levers, which are shipped or worked in holes
similar to those in the capstan-head.
In bringing a hawser to a capstan, take three or four
round turns around the barrel, the inboard part being
always the upper turn.
The Hyde Steam AVincllasK and Cap-
stan 9 Plates 97 and 98, is in use on board U. S. battle-ships
of the Alabama and Wisconsin type. This machinery is
built by the Hyde Windlass Co. of Bath, Me.
The Windlass and Capstan are driven by a vertical
double engine, the cylinders of which A, A, are 15 inches
diameter, 14 inches stroke. The engines are reversed by
link motion worked by the hand wheel B. The crank shaft
C, extends under the windlass shaft, and carries a worm
which engages the worm-wheel D, driving the windlass.
Forward of this is another worm whi(;h ciiga^c^s the worm-
wheel E, which drives the capstan. The rims of both these
wheels are independent. By throwing out the pawls F, F,
on the windlass gear, the capstan may bc^ run independently
in either direction. In a like manner, by working the hand
222 CAPSTAN — STEAM WINDLASS — STEERING GEAR.
wheel, G, the pawls in the worm-wheel E, are lifted clear
and the windlass may be run independently of the capstan.
In heaving in chain, the capstan being unlocked, the
pawls F, F, mentioned above, are thrown in. The wild-
cats H, H, are locked by the pawls J, J, which are thrown
in and out, by the sleeves K, K, and the engine started
ahead. Or, if it be desired to veer the chain by power, the
backing pawl L, is thrown in, and the engine reversed.
In veering chain, the wild-cats are unlocked by sleeves
K, K, and are free to revolve. Their motion is then con-
trolled by the friction bands M, M, which are set up by the
hand wheels N, N. These friction bands are used also to
control the chd,in when riding in heavy weather; the chain
in this case being unstoppered.
The Capstan O, is so arranged that it may be used as a
hand capstan, in the usual manner. It revolves at the same
rate as the bars, when they are worked in a right hand direc-
tion ; and at one-third of this speed, when they are worked
in the left hand direction, giving increased power, the bar-
rel in either case revolving in one direction.
When used by steam, by inserting pins in the base of
barrel Q, it is locked to the sleeve gear, and the pawls P,
being lifted, it is free to be worked in either direction.
The windlass is so arranged, that, for ordinary opera-
tions, little attention to the pawls is necessary ; as, in heav-
ing in chain, the engine is run ahead, the capstan being
free to revolve. If it be desired to work the capstan ahead,
the engine is reversed, the windlass automatically remain-
ing stationary.
The windlass is composed, almost entirely, of forgings
and steel, or bronze, castings, to insure the utmost protec-
tion against breakage, and the minimum of weight.
Steam Steering* Cireai*. The following is a
description of the latest patent of the steam steering gear
of Williamson Bro's Co., of Philadelphia, as applied to the
battle-ships of the United States Navy.
Plate 99 shows plan and side elevation. The engine
moves the rudder by means of a screw shaft G, on which
work sleeves, or driving nuts, connected to side rods from
the yoke of the rudder. One-half the length of the threaded
part of the screw shaft is right handed and the other half
left handed, so that the sleeves simultaneously approach
towards, or recede from, each other; both side rods thus
acting to turn the rudder in the same direction.
To operate the engines, see that the necessary clutches
are in, and that the proper connections are made: revolve
the automatic shaft L by turning the small steering wheel I
in either direction a sufficient number of turns to give the
desired movement to the rudder.
The Hyde Steam Windlass and Capstan.
The Hyde Steom Windlois ond Copston .
CAPSTAN — STEAM WINDLASS — STEERING GEAR. 223
The movement of the automatic shaft gives horizontal
motion to a sleeve working on a threaded portion of it.
The horizontal motion of the sleeve moves a rock shaft
that opens the reversing valve and admits steam to the
steering engine H.
The engine H revolves the screw shaft G which, as
above described, moves the rudder.
This motion continues until the rudder is in the desired
position, shown by pointers on a dial plate. The steering
wheel is then stopped. A spur wheel, carried by the screw
shaft, gears into a spur wheel that turns the slec^ve on the
automatic shaft, moving the sleeve in an opposite direction
to that originally given it, thereby closing the reversing
valve.*
The rudder is then rigidly held in this position. To
move the rudder, simply turn the small steering wheel I,
and the operation is repeated.
The automatic shaft may be revolved from the pilot
house, conning tower, or any steering station in the ship
by means of transmission ropes wound on drums J. The
motion of the drum is transmitted by gearing as shown in
the plates.
The hydraulic telemotor K is used to obtain the same
motion required of the transmission ropes, that is, to operate
the automatic shaft and by it, as already described, the re-
versing valve.
The hydraulic system is really the primary system, the
transmission ropes being intended as secondary, to be used
in case of injury to the hydraulic system. The two pipes
can be run in any direction desired. The movement of the
steering wheel is very easy, the only friction to overcome
being that of the hydraulic pistons.
To steer by hand, throw out clutch M, and any others
that move unnecessary parts. See clutchc^s to hand wheels
in place. Man the wheels. From the upper decks the power
is transmitted through shafting, such as at O, from the steer-
ing room, as indicated at P.
Some of our battle-ships, such as the Iowa, are fitted
with an electric telemotor. Electric motors are used to give
motion to the automatic shaft, and through it to open and
close the reversing valve.
Tlie Hycli^aiilie Stec^i-ing- Ci^ofii", The ar-
rangement of yoke and side rods is practic^ally the same as
for the steam steering gear just described. The forward onds
of the side rods form cross heads to piston rods working in
two hydraulic cylinders, one on each side. The forward
end of each cylinder is conne(*ted l)y a pip(^ with the after
end of the other cylinder. Each of th(*se pipes is connected
to one of two pipes of the main hydraulic system which
\
234 CAPSTAN — STEAM WINDLASS — STEERIN(J GEAR.
operates as supply and exhaust alternately, according to the
direction of the rudder.
Turning the steering wheel by means of transmission
ropes, from any part of the vessel, opens valves which admit
water into one or the other of the first mentioned pipes, as
the helm is to go to starbord or to port, and allows it to ex-
haust through the other.
By means of a system of levers connected to the cross-
heads of the side rods, a reverse motion is given to the
valves, thus closing them automatically, when the steering
wheel stops. The rudder is held firmly in place by the
water which fills the hydraulic cylinders on both sides of
the piston.
The change from hydraulic to hand power, or vice versa,
is simple and rapid.
The r^neixmatic Steei*ii:igr Ci-eai*. In this
the work is done by two horizontal cylinders arranged one
on each side of the tiller. They are provided with a com-
mon piston rod. in the centre of which is a hollow cross-
head in which the tiller is free to slide as it is moved from
side to side by the pistons.
Compressed air is admitted to the outer ends of the
cylinders by means of a D-valve, the air being simultan-
eously admitted at the back of one piston and exhausted
from the other. The inner ends of the cylinders are con-
nected by a pipe so that the air may flow freely from one
to the other as the pistons move. In the centre of the con-
necting pipe is a by-pass valve which is open when the
tiller is being moved, but closes when it has moved through
the desired angle and holds the air in the cylinders, thus
locking the tiller between two elastic cushions.
The valve admitting the compressed air can be worked
from any steering station in the vessel by means of trans-
mission ropes, or by means of electric motors.
It will be observed that the general arrangement of
yoke, side rods, and the applying of power, is practically the
same in each system. To steer with tiller only, take out the
bolts connecting the side rods to the sleeves, or cross-heads.
In these several designs the customary practice is ob-
served of heaving the wheel in direction the ship's head is
to go.
CHAPTER XVI.
MOORING- CLEARING HAWSE.
In speaking of a vessel as moored, we may refer to the
use of fixed moorings in a harbor or alongsiae of a wharf ;
or the ship may be moored head and stern. But the ex-
pression, as generally understood, means (when her own
^ound-tackle is used) that the ship has two anchors down
in opposite directions from the vessel, one cable having been
made rather taut before the second anchor was let go, and
there being an equal scope on each chain.
If a ship lets go her single anchor (say in 5 fathoms), in
the very centre of a harbor, which we will call about 200
fathoms wide, and ^^ steep to," all around, and then veers
100 fathoms of cable, she would occupy every part of the
harbor, as the wind or current happened to move her.
If it be desired to keep her stationary in the centre,
shortening the cable in to 5 fathoms would not effect it, for
the first puflf of wind would cause her to start her anchor.
But let us ascertain from what quarter the prevailing
heaviest wind blows; weigh, haul over, and let go an
anchor in that direction, 60 fathoms from the centre ; then,
with a warp, haul the ship over in the very opposite direc-
tion, veering the cable 1;;^0 fathoms from tne last position,
and then let go the second anchor. Now heave in 60
fathoms of the first cable, veering 60 fathoms on the last,
and we shall have the ship moored in a stationary position
in the centre of the harbor ; and many other ships (suppose
room on each side) may share the harbor by similar means,
as shown by the full-lined ship is Fig. 443, Plate 100.
Now with regard to the direction. Say that the prevail-
ing gales are northerly, and one comes on from that quarter
so heavy that we should veer cable. If the other ships have
attended properly to this contingency, all may veer simul-
taneously without fouling each other, and the riding cable
of each ship will tend straight to their weather anchors ; in
other words, they will all have open berths and open hawse,
as shown by the dotted line ships in Fig. 443.
It is clear that with a long scope of cable, we have all
the additional weight of chain in our favor ; the ship's bows
are less dragged downward than at a short stay, and the
325
\-
226 MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE.
pull on the anchor approaching the horizontal, the palm
bites all the harder. Some officers prefer veering, even as
much as two cables on end, to letting go other anchors.
Now suppose that one or both of the other ships had
moored without regard to the position of their anchors and
the direction of the prevailing gales. Plate 100, Figs. 444,
445, shows what would happen in case it should come on to
blow, and each vessel had to veer; also the trouble that
would ensue in getting under way.
Hence it is, that, when a flag oflBcer desires to have
his ships as close together as possible, he orders them to
moor ; and to prevent collisions while veering or picking up
their anchors, he points out the direction of the anchors.
To preserve, likewise, an imposing and well-dressed line, he
specifies the quantity of cable that is to be veered by each,
and also enforces the use of buoys, that each ship may be
enabled to ascertain the position of another's anchors.
These are some, but not all, of the reasons for mooring. .
For instance, in a river too narrow for a ship to swing in at
single anchor without grounding, or too shoal to do so
witnout striking on the upper pee of her anchor, and per-
haps settling on it as the tide fell, it would be necessary to
make her a fixture. But this also would require considera-
tion. By laving the anchors out in a line with the stream,
they would be in the best position for holding, in the event
of freshets or gales coming on, in concert with the tide ;
but, excepting the small distance she could sheer by the
action of the helm, her exposure to collisions from an
enemy's fire-ships or rafts dropping down with the tide, or
from vessels navigating the river, would be great ; whereas,
by having the anchors athwart the stream, either cable
could be veered, and the ship quickly moved to one side or
other.
If the water is shoaler than the ship can reach, one
anchor may be carried out in a boat, and a greater scope
given in consequence.
When it is optional, moor in northern latitudes with
reference to the chances being strongly in favor of gales
beginning at southwest, and ending at northwest.
For the same reason, in northern latitudes lie at single
anchor with the port bower ; if you have to let go tne
starboard anchor, you will then have open hawse.
If safety is the only consideration, and there is plenty of
room to swing, a ship is obviously better oflf when riding
at single anchor than when moored. For upon the appear-
ance of a gale, you can veer at pleasure and be certain of
having your second anchor in line with the wind when let
go, with a long scope on each chain. A vessel which has
een moored never nas both cables in line with the wind,
except when the ship is just between them, and therefore
only riding by one, or after veering, when she lays with a
i
Plate 100
/
iJ
B'ig. 443
B'ltf. 440
\J
MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE. 227
very long scope on one chain, and a correspondingly short
scope on the other.
When moored and veering in a gale, the anchors being
in the direction of the wind, the lee cable must be shortened
in to prevent dragging it over its anchor; for there is
some nsk of tripping the lee anchor as the weather cable
is veered.
A ship should never be girt by her moorinja^s. At such a
place as Panama, for example, where the rise and fall of
the tide are very great, suppose a ship were to be moored
and both chains hove taut at low water. The ^reat strain
brought on her by the rising tide, provided the anchors
held, majr be imagined ; and if, in addition to this, she
should swing around several times and foul her hawse, the
effect on her copper and fastenings would soon tell.
Preparations forl^Iooring-, StationK,
etc. All hands having been called to ''moor ship," the
first lieutenant takes the deck, and the other officers repair
to their stations as in ' ' bringing ship to anchor. " The officer
of the forecastle will see hands by the anchor to be let go,
and will give directions to those on the main deck as to
veering, &c.
The officer of the forecastle will see the second anchor
ready for letting go, and the chain clear. Let us suppose
that the starboard anchor was first let go, the port one must
then be ready. He will see all clear for veering on the
starboard cable, and men at their stations as in ''coming
to." When the starboard cable is veered as far as necessary,
he will *' bring to" on it, and unbitt the port one, for
convenience in veering, unless in very deep water. The
boatswain attends on the forecastle, and pipes as directed
by the lieutenant in charge of the forecastle. The car-
penter, with his crew, will ship and swifter in the capstan
bars, put on gratings, knock up stanchions, &c., and report
to the lieutenant in charge of main deck when ready.
The principal stations of the crew are, to man both cap-
stans, to veer cable, on deck at the wheel, the lead, signals,
by the anchor, two men in each top, a man at each mast
to attend gear. Tierers below, compressor-men on berth-
deck. In a modern ship a man is stationed to run the steam
capstan. See steam turned on, &c.
Having- ^A^ncliox-ecl >^^itli that ^^iow —
to IWCoor iShip. The first anchor having been let go
in the proper position, and with reference to the state of
the hawse to prevailing winds, the first lieutenant will in-
form the officer of the forecastle as to the scope he wishes
on each chain. The officer of the forecastle will veer away
to double this range (supposing an equal scope on each),
keeping the last shackle abaft the bitts, for otherwise, sup-
posing the chain well.laid out, it would be mooring too taut.
228 MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE.
The mizzen topsail may be set, if necessary, and the ship
sheered with it, and the helm, to the position of the second
anchor. The chain must be laid well out before the second
anchor is let go ; when the second anchor is let go the first
lieutenant directs the boatswain to call '*furl sail," and
having furled them, will direct him to call '*moor ship."
The chain is "brought to," and the first lieutenant then
commands, "Heave round!" the stoppers are taken off (if
any have been put on), when the caole is hove taut, and
the chain is unbitted as it comes in, and payed below, if
clean. Let us suppose that the port anchor was first let go,
and that we veered ninety fathoms on it. Veering the
starboard cable is regulated by the amount hove in on the
port ; observing never to check her. Finally, veer the forty-
five-fathom shackle half way between the hawse-hole and
bitts, and heave in the forty -five-fathom shackle on the
port chain, to the same place. They will then be con-
venient for clearing hawse.
If the swivel is to be put on immediately, the lee shackle
had better be kept just outside of the hawse-hole, provided
the swivel is so small that it can be passed through the
hawse-pipe : keep the shackle of the riding cable (the port
one in this case) inside the hawse-hole. In regard to the
position of the shackles, it may be well to bear in mind, if
in any doubt, that it is much better to keep them too far
inside than the other way, as cable can be veered by two
or three hands; but to heave it in, requires a deck tackle
and all hands.
When intending to put the swivel on, the v/eather cable
may be veered a fathom or so more than otherwise before
the lee anchor is let go, as putting it on slacks the chain.
If a ship is moored too taut she may trip her anchors in
case of a foul hawse, and the cables chafe the cutwater.
If moored too slack, the swivel will not turn. The execu-
tive officer should look at the state of the hawse every
morning, in order to assure himself that the swivel is in
good order.
When the ship is moored with the proper scope, the
officer of the forecastle will put on the stoppers, and report
to the first lieutenant, who then directs the boatswain to
"pipe down."
The vessel is now moored with a scope of forty-five
fathoms on each cable, and will swing to the wind or tide,
forming a sweep within her moorings. No vessel should
be moored with cables so slack, or with so little scope out,
as to swing over her buoys or beyond her own moorings.
The foregoing example shows the proper course to pur-
sue, when the spot to place the second anchor is directly to
leeward of the first; but should that not be the case, she
must be, by the use of hawsers, taken out to the shore, or
MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE. 229
to another vessel; or by the use of a kedge, roused over to
the proper spot, veering on the first cable while doing so.
Then place the second anchor and proceed as just directed.
Should steam be up, of course that would be used.
To l^Ioor in a. Tide^va^. You may veer to the
full scope (ninety or one hundred and twenty fathoms) any
time during the tide, and drop the second anchor before
slack water; for with a good scope of cable, and the current
still running, you may give her a considerable sheer with
the helm. After the second anchor is down, bitt and stop-
per the cable, and wait the change of the tide; when, hav-
ing swung to the second anchor, you may proceed to moor
as before directed.
To IVfiooi* Head, and Stei-n. As there are
rarely any fitments for securing stern cables we must take
them to the mizzen mast, lash them to bolts in the bul-
warks, or to the cradle bolts, or to the mooring shackles
outside.
Sometimes the ends of the stern cable are secured on
shore, the bight being on board ; in this case, after veering
away on the bowers, and securing the stern fasts, heave
ahead until moored taut enough. When using hemp cables
or hawsers in this way, put plenty of good parcelling on in
the wake of all chafes, and occasionally *' freshen the nips,"
or use mats instead of parcelling.
Should four anchors be required, ascertain the ship's
berth when moored, and mark the intended position of each
anchor by small temporary buoys. Make every preparation
for mooring. Place the anchor by the best available means
and heave in on the chains as required.
HavlupT ]V[ooved Head and Stei*n — to
TTnmooi* ^liip. If the stern moorings are made fast
to the shore, simply cast off the ends, clap on deck-tackles,
and walk them inboard.
If moored with anchors astern, to unmoor, proceed to
pick up stern anchors, then the bowers.
TO KEEP THE HAWSE CLEAR OR TEND SHIP WHEN
MOORED-(TWO BOWERS).
When a ship is moored the sails are generally unbent,
with the exception of the jib and spanker. With these two
sails, the helm, and a knowledge of the principles of tend-
ing ship, an officer can scarcely go amiss. If the stern of
the ship must go to starboard to Keep the hawse clear, put
the helm to starboard at the last of the old tide, and to port
at the beginning of the new. This will have the effect of
sending the stem to starboard and making her swing as
desiredT Use the spanker if it can be made effective.
A little attention in this matter on the part of the officer
230 MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE.
of the deck may save a great deal of work in clearing
hawse. Should it be required to swing against the wind,
use the jib.
CLEARING HAWSE.
A vessel moored, and riding by either anchor, having
the cables clear of each other, ^^ rides with a clear hawse.^
If her head is in a line between the two anchors, so that
the cables will each lead out from their respective sides,
and clear of the stem, she then ' * rides to an open hawse.^^
If, by swinging, she brings the cables to bear upon each
other, so as to be chafed by the motion of the vessel, she
has ^^ a foul hawse,^^
If, from having an open hawse, she has swung half
round, or performed a half circle, she brings " a cross in the
hawse" and that cable will be uppermost from which she
swung. If it is the starboard cable which is uppermost, she
must swing to starboard, if the port, to port, to clear the
hawse.
But if she swings the wrong way, that is, continues the
same way she swung before, performing another half
circle, then there will be " aw elbow in the hawse," the same
cable being uppermost. We will suppose that in both in-
stances she has swung to port, then tne starboard cable is
of course over the port one, and she must swine to starboard
to bring the hawse clear. Thus, from an opennawse she has
performed a full circle to produce an elbow.
The next half circle in the same direction brings "a
round turn " in the hawse.
And the next half circle, " a round turn and elbow" and
so on.
An attentive officer will always endeavor to make his
vessel, having a cross in the hawse, swin^ so as to clear it,
by means of tne helm or otherwise. But if she swings the
wrong way, he should lose no time in resorting to the opera-
tion of clearing hawse by the cables.
To Cleai* Ha^wse. Get up the clear-hawse gear.
This consists of deck-tackles, hook-ropes, the clear-hawse
pendant and the hawse-rope.
I>ecl£-Tackles are heavy double purchases, with
a hook in each block.
HooIj: IRopes are single ropes, with a hook in one
end, and are used in lighting along the chain, in con-
nection with long-handled cfeatn-Z^oofc^. Fig. 459.
The Clear-Ha^WKe Fenclaiit is a heavy
hemp rope, tailed with chain and having a shackle, or (better)
a pelican hook in the chain end.
The Hawse-H/ope is a stout hemp rope tailed
with chain, with sister-hooks in the chain end.
MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE. 231
If the turns are under water thev must first be hove out
clear. This is usually done by clapping a deck-tackle on
the riding cable, forward of the bitts, hauling in and stop-
pering the riding chain forward ; light the slack around the
bitts and pass the after stoppers afresh.
Pass the clear-hawse pendant out of the sheet hawse-hole
on the side of the lee caole, shackle it to that cable below
the turns, bouse it taut with a deck-tackle and belay it.
Now pass the end of the hawse-rope out through the lee
hawse-hole, take it around the riding cable in the direction
opposite to the turn in the hawse, pass the end in again.
Fig. 447, and hook it to the lee cable forward of the shackle.
Now unshackle the lee cable, haul away on the hawse-rope
and light out the lee cable, usin^ a line from the bowsprit
if necessary to assist in hauling it out.
When the hawse-rope brings in the end of the cable
again, secure the cable end temporarily if need be, and re-
peat the operation with the hawse-rope from the beginning,
if there are more turns to be taken out.
When the lee cable comes in clear, clap on a deck-tackle,
walk away and shackle, unhooking tne hawse-rope.
Take off finally the clear-hawse pendant, and dry and
stow away the clear-hawse gear.
When the clear-hawse pendant is fitted with a pelican
hook it can be readily cleared from the chain, even if it gets
under water, by a laniard from the upper part of the linK.
In small vessels, or with light ground-tackle, the above
plan may be slig:htly modified, to advantage, especially
when the hawse-pipes are narrow. Fig. 448.
The turns being hove above water, clap on the clear-
hawse pendant as before. It is advisable also to clap a
lashing on the two cables below the turns, if the moorings
are slack, to keep the turns from sliding down under water
again on the nding chain. Now, instead of using the
hawse-rope, pay out the nearest shackle of the lee cable
into a boat under the bows, unshackle there and use a
hook-rope to clear the turns, having the hauling end in-
board. When the turns are clear, hook the hawse-rope into
the end of the lee chain to rouse it inboard through the
hawse-pipe. Shackle, cast off the lashings on the chains,
and take off the clear-hawse pendant.
One object is not to have so many parts (two of hawse-
rope and one of chain) in the hawse-hole at once. More-
over, when the use of the boat and hook-rope is practicable,
the hook-rope can be more readily shifted and the operation
performed quicker.
When veering out the end of the lee cable have a good
turn with the hawse-rope, so that in case the clear-hawse
pendant parts, the hawse-rope may hold the weight of the
chain.
Never clear by the riding cable, nor at any other time
than at slack water if it can be avoided.
232 MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE.
A screw steamship, with steam up, can turn round with
her screw and helm, and clear hawse in a short time. But
the steam would not be up unless she was about to sail ;
and in that case she should clear hawse, unmoor, and heave
in to a short scope while raising steam.
The hawse is sometimes cleared, when there is no wind
and a smooth surface, by towing the stem of the ship round
in the required direction. A long ship should never attempt
it, and it is not a very seamanlike way of clearing hawse at
any time.
In weighing, if there is a cross in the hawse, the under-
most cable should be hove in first ; the upper anchor, if
hove up first, would foul the under cable.
If it is necessary to pick up the upper one first, dip it
before weighing.
In unmooring, heave up the lee anchor first to avoid the
chance of fouling other ships or your own anchor.
To pixt tlie IVIooi'iiig- S4>vlvel on. Fig. 449.
By putting the mooring swivel on, the hawse is more easily
kept clear.
The best time to put it on is at slack water, or as near it
as possible. To do so, shackle the clear-hawse pendant to
the lee cable, as in clearing hawse, and haul it taut. Send
a boat under the bows with the swivel. Make fast a bow-
line from the bowsprit end, rouse out chain and pav the
shackle into the boat ; the men in the boat unshackle the
chain and shaqkle it to the swivel.
Now put the clear-hawse pendant on the riding cable,
haul it well taut, unshackle the riding cable, veer it into
the boat, and shackle it there to the swivel as we did the lee
one.
If there is any doubt about the clear-hawse pendant
being strong enough, we must use a large hawser, or the
stream chain, to secure the riding cable, or postpone putting
the. swivel on the riding cable until the ship has swung.
When the swivel is on, it must be hove up clear of the
water.
It is usually hove up close to one hawse-hole, and the
other chain is then overhauled clear of the bows, or un-
shackled altogether. After the swivel is on, the two chains
from inboard constitute what is called the bridle.
Finally, take off the clear-hawse pendant.
The swivel should be put on with the cup upward that it
may be more effectually lubricated.
If the swivel is so small that we can pass it through the
hawse-hole, it can be put on with much less trouble. We
have only to stopper the riding cable inboard, unshackle,
put the swivel on and veer it outboard. Then send a boat
under the bows and put it on the lee cable as just described.
Many seamen object to the use of mooring swivels under
any circumstances. They should certainly not be used when
bad weather is liable to make veering necessary.
CHAPTER XVII.
CARRYING OUT ANCHORS BY BOATS.
To cai'ry oi:it a K^edg-e oi* Sti:*ea»m.
.il^nclioi* lyy a I3oat. Hoist the kedge out by yard
and stay purchases and lower it into the water astern of the
boat. The coxswain, having previously unshipped the rud-
der, and protected the stern of the boat with old canvas,
hangs it there by a piece of three-inch stuff. One end of this
is secured to the ring-bolt in the stern, the other end, passed
abound the shank just under the stock, is belayed for slip-
Eing. Settle down the yard tackle and unhook. Bend the
awser and coil it away in the boat. When the kedge is to
be let go, heave the remainder of the hawser overboard and
slip the stopper.
A small feedge may be made much more effective by
lashing pig ballast or other convenient weight to it.
Circumstances will determine whether it is better to take
the entire hawser in the boat, drop the kedge and bring the
end back, or to pay and go from the ship, as assumed above.
CARRYING OUT A HEAVY ANCHOR WITH ONE BOAT.
F'ii'Ht >Ietlio<l. {The quickest way.) Sling empty
casks or beef barrels in pairs, marrying their slings and
snaking them to prevent them from being shaken off.
Bung the casks weU and lowfer them overboard.
Out launch, lower it so that the stem will be supported
by the casks, lash these securely to the boat, two on each
.quarter.
Haul the launch forward with a boat rope from the jib-
boom end, steady her if necessary by a whip from the fore-
yard braced forward.
Cockbill the anchor and lower it with the stock hanging
horizontally across the stem of the launch. Take a stout
strap^ around the shank, reeve one bight through the other,
and jam the turn close up under the stock, take the other
bight through the stem nng-bolts, and toggle it. In letting
go, out toggle, or cut the strap.
233
234 CARRYING OUT ANCHORS BY BOATS.
With a large launch prepared as above, a good sized
anchor and cable can be carried out. Fig. 451, Plate 102.
Second IMetliocl. Anchor too heavy to hang from
launch's stem. In this case, the flukes must be hove up
under the bottom of the boat, the stock being perpendicular.
Fig. 453.
Out launch, increase her buoyancy aft as before. Rig
the fish-davit. Seize two large thimbles into two straps,
which are clapped around the arms of the anchor just inside
the flukes, a piece of a stout towline is rove through the
thimbles, the tow-line being stopped to the shank to keep it
middled. Put a long pair of slings around the shank near
the stock, and lash them to its upper end to keep the stock
perpendicular. Round the shank also, and stopped to the
stock is the end of a stout rope, to be used in securing the
ring. Hook the fish to the inner arm from aft forward,
hooK the cat to the stock slings and ease the anchor down,
keeping the shank horizontal and the stock perpendicular
until it is about four feet under water ; bring the launch's
stem against the stock ; haul her side in close to the fish ;
secure me stock end of the anchor to the stern by the end
of rope provided for the purpose, passing the turns through
the stern rin^-bo.ts ; bring the ends of the towline stuff
in on each side through the rowlocks, and secure them
throiigh the foremost ring-bolts ; ease up and unhook cat
and fish ; stop a length of chain round the boat outside,
and then range as much more chain in the bottom as is
intended to be carried out, stopping it in several places, and
making the end well fast that it may not fetch away in
veering. Fig. 453.
To let go, cut or slip the stock and fiuke fastening^ to-
gether.
In either of the above methods the casks are of course
dispensed with if unnecessary (Fig. 452) : but with the
relative sizes of launches and ground-tackle supplied to
our ships of war, it is most nkely that the additioncd
buoyancy will be needed.
A boat will tow more easily by the first method than
with the anchor entirely under her bottom.
Tliircl ]\Xetliod.. {Stock horizontal, flukes perpen-
dicular.) This plan was first suggested by a Mr. Cows, of
England. The object is to bring the weimt of the ancnor
on that part of the boat most capable of bearing it, and to
use a purchase in the boat equal to heaving up any weight
she can sustain.
This is done in suspending the anchor by a rope passing
through a hole in the bottom of the launch, a tube placed
over the hole preventing the water from filling the boat.
Launches are fitted with such a hole, covered by a brass
screw-tap, outside of which screws a cojpiper funnel. When
preparing for use, screw on the funnel, or trunk as it is
CARRYING OUT ANCHORS BY BOATS. 235
sometimes called, unscrew the tap ; as soon as the latter is
oflf, the water rises in the trunk till level with the water
outside.
Immediately over the trunk, Fi^. 455, is placed a wind-
lass, the pins in its ends working m bearings on the gun-
wale.
Haul the launch forward, cock-bill the anchor ; secure
to its forward arm the end of the windlass-rope.
To get the other end of the windlass rope through the
trunk, drop a lead and line through first, nook the lead-
line from outside with a boat-hook, and haul through,
marrying the lead-line to the end of the windlass-rope.
Lower the anchor by the cat, with the stock athwart the
stern of the launch, man the windlass, and heave the flukes
under the boat, keeping the boat clear of the shank. When
the anchor is lowered have the usual stopper rove through
the ring and taken over the stern roller of the launcn.
When tne stock is close up under the boat secure the
stopper through the after ring-bolts, with turns around its
own part and around the after-thwart.
Fig. 454: represents a first-rate's launch, with a bower
anchor suspended under the bottom, and a hemp cable
coiled away in the boat ; c is the buoy-rope ; d the rope by
which the anchor is hove up ; e the line of flotation when
the vessel is light ; / the line of flotation with bower anchor
hung in the ordinary way to the stern ; g the line of flotation
with anchor hung as represented, a cable and twenty men
in the boat.
When a ship is on shore forward, unless Cows' method
is used it maj be impossible to carry out a large bower with
one boat, owing to the shallow water.
CaxTj^itigr out a Bo>\"ei* "between t^wo
Onttersj Plate 105. The stream anchor having been
previously sent out and planted, with the top-block at the
ring, hawser rove off, &c., prepare to send out the bower
between two cutters, as follows :
Hook the cat to the ring, the fish to a strap around th*^
inn?r arm of the anchor, ease off tlie stoppers and lower tli
anchor into the water, stock athwartships, flukes up and
down. Haul up two cutters, one on each side of the pur-
chases. Lash two suitable spars cut flat on the under sides
across the boats, one a little forward of the centre of
gravity, the other further aft at a distance nearly equal to
the length of the shank. The spars rest on the gunwales
of both boats, building up if necessary in wake of the inner
gunwales to strengthen them.
Clap on the cat and pull up till the stock takes under the
keels of the boats, Secure the ring to the forward spar by
a lashing long enough to lower the anchor to the bottom on
the bight, taking two round turns through the ring and
:i36 rARKYiN(; out anchors by boats.
around the spar, and expending the ends in opposite direr-
tions around the spar.
Now clap on the fish and pull up till the upper pee is
nearly level with the sifter spar. Secure the fluke to the
after spar by a lashing similar to the ring lashing, and
passed under the shank. The strap for the flsh will prob-
ably be jammed between the lashing and the upper nuke
(hence the reason for using a strap instead of hooking the
nsh itself to the inner arm), but by bending a small line to
the strap it can be recovered after the anchor has been
eased down. Clap rackings on the lashing and knot the
ends together above each spar until ready for easing
away.
Fit a span across the stems of both boats, and to it secure
the end oi the hawser used in hauling out.
Lastly, ease off and unhook the cat and fish. The anchor
now hangs between the two boats, which are only separated
by a distance a little greater than the width of the anchor
fiuke.
The bower cable, shackled to the anchor, is unshackled
at fifteen fathoms and the end carried in another boat,
which tows out in rear of the first two.
When ready to let go, the rear boat being close up, ease
away together on the ends of the lashings, and lower the
anchor to the bottom.
Half the turns of the lashing on each spar being taken
in one direction and half in the opposite way, the spars have
no tendency to roll out of position, and any undue strain on
their lashin^^ is avoided.
Cast adnft the spars and send back one boat with the
standing part of the nawser. Let her take the end of the
chain in ner bows with end enough to shackle, hang the
bight to her stem and haul out again by the hawser from
on board. When the chain begins to drag, the second boat
is brought under the bows and a bight hung to her bow and
stern in the same manner. On reaching the boat support-
ing the end of the first fifteen fathoms, the leading cutter
receives that end, shackles, and both cutters slip the bights
at the same time.
If the state of the sea does not admit of towing out the
cutters stern first, we must forego the advantage of sup-
Eorting the greatest weight of the anchor by the sterns,*Hnd
aul the boats alongside the purchases, bows aft.
Lowering the anchor instead of cutting it adrift, enables
the end of the chain to be carried out in a boat instead of
Imoying it. which is believed to save time in the shackling,
while the tow is lightened.
The lashings used in lowering an anchor were 5|-ine]i
rope, the depth of water four fathoms, weight of the anchor
5,500 pounds.
CARRYING OUT ANCHORS iiY BOATS. 23:
NOTES ON CARRYING OUT ANCHORS.
To carry out a heavy anchor and chain is considered a
somewhat difficult as well as a dangerous operation. In
1842 a lieutenant and several men lost their lives while
attempting it in a launch belonging to the U. S. S. Mis-
souri, then agroiind in the Potomac River. This accident
was due to the chain being stowed in the boat.
A long range of chain should never be carried in the
boat with the anchor. Even when small anchors and haw-
sers are being carried out, heave overboard enough of the
hawser and plenty to spare before letting go the anchor y to
allow it to reach the bottom. If not, the anchor on beinjg
let go, will take the boat with it. A bight of chain is
usually stopped around the boat ready for dropping, and if
this is not enough, more must be paid out. Put check-
stoppers on the chain while it is being stowed in the boat,
securing them to a thwart or ring-bolt ; this will decrease
the danger of the cable's taking charge when paid out.
When about to let go the anchor, make sure oy a cast of
the lead that you have cable enough outside the boat to
reach the bottom, and hang it well to the stern that no
more may run out. If there be a greater quantity of chain
in the boat than can be ranged in one layer, there will be
damage done unless you disconnect at the first shackle and
bring it to the last one, which will be the upper one of the
range paid down.
Let go the anchor with the ring toward the vessel.
In veering chain, lash a capst9,n bar athwart the
stern ; lay the cable over it and veer awav cautiously
fathom by fathom. If the end of another cable is brought
to you, join it ; hang the joining shackle outside your boat,
and throw the bight out, letting both parts hang from the
stem .over the bar — that is to say, nave no cable now
remaining in the boat, and when all is clear, slip the
bight.
This proceeding will suggest the necessity of always
taking pimches, shackle-pins, and hammers in a boat, when
setting out on an anchor expedition.
After letting go an anchor, if the cable remaining in the
boat gets away from you, direct the men to jump overboard
and hang on to the gunwale till the cable is out.
When using a buoy on a bower that is laid out, stop
the buoy-rope to one pee of the anchor and stopper it short
of the (iepth of water ; this insures canting the anchor for
biting.
Warping out (igainst wind and sea, lay out the cable on
your return : if before it, pay as you go.
When likely to weigh a stream or heavier anchor by
238 CARRYING OUT ANCHORS BY BOATS.
boat, put a block on the crown and reeve a double buoy-
rope tnrough it.
In lowering a waist anchor by the tackles to be carried
out, hook the main yard-tackle on the inner arm, and the
fore yard-tackle in the ring to ease it down with the stock
athwartships. A bill-tackle on the inner arm will keep the
anchor from canting too quickly.
Sweeping- tV>v -^Vnchoi'ssj ox* Ca'bles.
Having lost an anchor and chain, attempt first to catch the
chain ; failing in that, the anchor itseli. The position of
the anchor is Known by the cross-bearings taken when the
ship anchored, also the direction of the chain.
First: To catch the chain. Send out boats to pull at
right angles to its direction, each dragging a grapnel after
her.
In addition to ordinary grapnels, use for this purpose
two fish-hooks (hooks used in fishing the anchor), joined at
the eyes and kept apart with their hooks in tne same
direction by a few small battens lashed across their backs.
This is dragged by the eyes, the bills of the hooks are kept
down with a back-rope, which should always be used m
grappling, to clear rocKS and other obstructions.
When the chain is grappled, send out the launch and
weigh it ; hang the bight ana drop the creeper down again,
and so work till the end is l^eached, carry this to the ship,
heave in, and heave up the anchor.
Second : To sweep for the anchor. Weight the bight of
a line for some distance each side the middle, ana put-
ting an end in each of two boats, let them pull across the
position of the anchor. A small chain is the best to sweep
with.
The boats must be well apart^ and the line dragging on
the bottom. Sweep in the direction from ring to crown.
When the anchor is caught, cross the boats and haul up
over it ; drop the bight of a hawser down over the line so
as to catch over the upper flukes, slip an anchor shackle
down over both parts to confine it, warp the ship up, take
one end of the hawser to the capstan, clap a deck-tackle on
the other and weigh the anchor.
A running bowline may be slipped over the upper fluke.
To AVeigh a I3o^ver* Ijry a t«aiiiichL
Fitted Avith a Tr\%nli. Elaving caught the
upper fluke as described above, pass the ends of the hawser
through the trunk, bring to on the windlass and heave
up.
The crown being up, pass the end of the after-stopper
from one quarter around the bow and aft the other side, let
go the bight forward, and it will catch the shank of the
anchor, hook on the luffs, and heave up the stock ; catch
the chain in the same way and heave it up to another
boat.
CARRYING OUT ANCHORS BY BOATS. 239
The boat might be warped alongside as soon as the crown
is up; then sweep a strap under its bottom, crossing the
parts with a round turn around the shank of the anchor.
Hook the fish tackle in the ends, walk up the anchor crown
first until the rinff is high enough to hoot the cat.
To get the anchor up, ring first, sweep the stream cable
under the boat (so as to catch between the stock and flukes),
form a running clinch with the end around the other part,
heave in on the stream, ease off the hawser, haul the ooat
clear, hook the cat when the ring is high enough. Should a
portion of the cable be attached to the anchor, sweep under
it, take the end through the hawse-hole and heave in.
Use the buoy-rope instead of the hawser in heaving up,
if it is strong enough.
A. mJjxi'y A\^iiicllass, in a launch, may be rigged
by having a roimd spar secured athwart the boat, and
working it with straps and heavers, having the hawser,
buoy-rope or cable, led over a roller at the stem.
TO WEIGH THE STREAM ANCHOR BY THE LAUNCH.
Ship the davit or roller in the stern, pass in the boat a
couple of good luffs, straps, spun-yarn, and stuff for stop-
pers. Bring the cable over tne roller, and clap on a luff,
single block to ring-bolt in the bows. Clap luff upon luff if
necessary to break ground. If the anchor holds hard,
heave to a short stay, getting the stern well down, and
helsLj ; then let all hands go forward and try to jump the
anchor out. When aweign, clap the luffs on alternately,
faking the cable in the boat.
When the anchor is up, hang it to the stern of the boat
and pull on board.
CHAPTER XVII I.
PORT DRILLS WITH SAILS AND SPARS, AND MISCELLA-
NEOUS PORT EVOLUTIONS.
Tlie Trampet.* The preceding chapters contain
the prominent features of fitting out a ship for sea. We
have now arrived at that part of the course where the
young officer may be supposed to take charge of the deck
to conduct the usual port exercises.
The regularity and precision of military movements are
not suited to a ship's decks, nor are the commands to be laid
down with the exactness given in works on military tactics ;
but those officers who give their orders in accordance with
the customs of the service, and in a tone and manner which
command attention and inspire respect, will, all else being
eaual, get more work out of a ship's company than those
who coin expressions for the occasion, and issue their
orders as if obedience were doubtful or indifferent to
them.
Ooiiiiiia.iicl^. The commands are of three kinds :
first, the preparatory command, which indicates what is to
be done ; as Ready about! Oet the starboard stun^-sails
ready for setting ! &c. Second, the command of cautioUy
which elicits immediate attention, and which is quickly
followed by the third — the* command of execution; as Haul
well ta ut ! Let go and Hav l I in tacking ; Set taut ! Hoist
AWAY I when setting studding-sails, hoisting boats, &c\
Stand by! Let fall I in loosing sail. (The first or cau-
tionary command is printed in italics ; the latter, or com-
mand of execution, in small capitals.)
When using the trumpet, place it so that the least con-
cave arc of the mouth-piece may rest against the upper lip,
while the greater is below and gives room for the play of
the lower lip.
The commands of caution, haul taut, and stand by, are
absolutely essential when working a number of men (as a
watch, or all hands, for instance), for it is not possible with-
♦ At sea the officer of the watch is required to carry a speaking-trumpet.
This is done, not only that he may liave an auxiliarj', often necessary to the
voice, but also that ne may be readily distinguished as the one, for the time
l)eing, responsible for the safety of the ship.
In port the distinctive mark is a binocular, or the spy-glass.
^■±KJ
POKT DRILLS, ETC. 241
out such commands to get them to exert themselves at the
same instant, as they should do.
The preparatory command, if given deliberately, will be
better understood, though it should not be uttered without
due energy. The cautionary command should be sharp,
quick, and full of energy, while that of execution should
be distinct and emphatic.
PORT EXERCISES.
The following forms of port exercises are based upon the
idea :
1st. That the drills are carried on under nearly the same
conditions as in actual practice at sea ;
2d. That " ready men " are superfluous ;
3d. That the li^nt yardmen start from the tops in work-
ing their yards, sails or topgallant masts. *
The exercises designated as Color Evolutions are those
commonly performed at the hoisting or hauling down of
colors ; such as crossing the light yards or loosing sail in
the morning, and sending down masts and yards at sun-
set.
When exercising in obedience to signal, the squadron
orders will show the time allowed between the preparatory
signal and signal of execution. That allowance is usually
as follows : Crossing or sending down li^ht yards, loosing
or furling sail, the preparatory is hoisted six (6) minutes
before the moment of execution, and the execution signal
three (3) minutes before it is hauled down.
In sending up and down topgallant-masts and yards, the
preparatory signal is made ten (10) minutes before, and the
signal of execution is hoisted five (5) minutes before the
time.
In bending sail the preparatory is hoisted fifteen (15)
minutes before the time of execution ; left up five (5) min-
utes and hauled down. The execution signal is hoisted
three (3) minutes before the time of hauling down.f
In color evolutions, if not exercising in obedience to sig-
nal, give the order of execution at the third roll of the
drum.
If obeying signals, always give the order of execution
the instant the execution signal starts from the truck.
* The practice of sending seamen on the run from tlie sheer-pole to the
cross-trees has frequently resulted in permanent injury to the individual. It is
said to induce heart disease. The light yardmen should not only be sent into
the tops in advance, but in sufficient time to allow them to regain their wind
before going further.— €. B. L.
t In the Training Squadron, it has been customary, after hoistinnf a prepara-
tory signal, to unbend the signal part and hoist the preparatory pennant, as a
signal of execution. This is convenient and saves the bunting.
242 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
That all the squadron may be prepared to cross yards or
loose sail at eight, or for anv other manoeuvre at the hoist-
ing of the colors, the flagship makes it a rule to designate
seven bells (7:30 a.m.) by making a "time" signal at that
hour. The squadron then have an opportunitv of regulating
their time by the flagship, and msu^ing such preparations
for eight as may be necessary.
No exercise aloft is completed while a single straggler
remains above the rail ; the order to lay down from £uoft
should therefore not usually be given until all can obey it.
There are one or two cases (as in crossing yards and loosing
sail) where a certain number of men must remain aloft after
the rest. In such instances, these men perform their duty
promptly, lay down into the tops and remain there until
piped down.
In all port evolutions, as soon as the crew are ordered to
their stations, the men who are to go aloft place themselves
inboard at the foot of the rigging Ikdders on their respective
sides by watches. Men stationed on the head booms place
themselves inboard of the head rail.
When about to lay aloft from the tops, the light yardmen
place themselves at the foot of the topmast rigging outside
of the tops. If going aloft to send down yards, they carry
with them the oending ends of their respective tripping
lines. Once bent, these are often left permanently aloit
during drills, and lie in a loose coil at the foot of the respec-
tive masts.
When the men reach the yards, they should remain at
the slings until ordered out. This rule is general.
Substitute signs for verbal commands whenever practica-
ble. Commands can be frequently omitted with good effect.
For example, in crossing yards or loosing sails, beating
the *• call bv the drum ^or sounding it by DUgle) is a suflB-
cient signal for the men lo lay aloft. So also the third roll
indicates the moment of letting fall, and dispenses with a
certain amount of unnecessary noise.
Should the bugle be used at colors instead of the drum,
give the orders ^^ sound the calV^ and '^ sound o^."
At the first note of the bugle the light yardmen lay aloft
from the tops, or the yards are swayed across, sails let fall,
&c., as the case may oe.
EXERCISES WITH SAILS.
Grenei'al Directions. In all routine exercises
with sails, as soon as the lower yardmen are on the lower
yards, the two out-board men lay out quickly and unclamp
the quarter-irons of the topmast stun'-sail booms. The two
out-board men on the topsail-yards lay out to stop out the
royal and topgallant yard-ropes to the topsail liits in case
PORT DRILIiS, ETC. 243
the light yards are in the rigging. These men should per-
form their duty promptly, and lay out and in together to the
slings of the yards.
At the end of an exercise the same men on topsail-yards
cast adrift the yard-ropes, and those on the lower yards
remain out to clamp the boom-irons after the booms are
lowered, then lay in quickly and down from aloft together.
In loosing, furling, bending, &c., the captain of the top,
or man in charge at the slings of the yard, raises his right
hand, as a signal to his oflficer on dect, the moment when
the sail is ready for letting fall, as the case may be. No
hailing from aloft is needed, and none should be tolerated.
If there are officers in charge of the tops they should re-
ceive and transmit reports in a similar way, and the officers
in charge of the respective masts on deck should also sig-
nify their readiness by signal of the hand to the executive
officer.
For frequent port drills topsail-sheets may be singled
and securea together with the clewlines by means of a
short pendant fitted with sister-hooks connecting sheet and
clewline to the clew of the sail.
The tacks and sheets may also be singled, or you may
reeve one piece of half -worn rope, long enough for both
tack and sheet, form a cuckold's neck in the middle, lead
one end aft and the other forward. In the place of the
regular clew-garnet reeve a rope through the clew-garnet
block, half -hitch it to the cuckold-neck: in the tacK and
sheet, leaving enough to splice in a pair of sister-hooks,
which hook into the clew, tnus connecting tack, sheet and
clew-garnet to the sail.
These single tacks and sheets answer all purposes for
drilling, and preserve the regular ones.
Use single ropes' ends for trysail sheets.
TO LOOSE SAIL TO THE BUNTLINES.
{Color Evolution.)
The preparatory signal being made, direct the boatswain
to call :
Loose Sail!
When the men are up :
Man the clew-jiggers and buntlines ! *
This command shows how the sails are to be loosed.
Let go and overhaul leechlines, reef tackles, brails, and
bowlines; also tacks, sheets, clew-garnets, and clewlines,
if hooked.
When preparatory signal is hauled down :
* If clew-jiggers are not used the clewlines should be kept fast and the
Imntlines hauled up square with the yard.
•-i44 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
LOOSERS OF TOPGALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS IN THE TOPS I
As execution signal is hoisted :
Beat the call ! Aloft sail loosers !
Man the boom tricing-lines !
Trice up ; lay out ; loose !
Keep fast topgallant and roval clewlines.
If tne light yards are not aloft, the ^ard-ropes should be
overhauled. The light sails are loosed m the rigging.
If ship has fires li&^hted, cast off forward stops of the
covers of the main-sail and main-topsail, so that the sails
will drop clear. Sail covers are taken off the fore and aft
sails and head sails.
The officers having signalled their readiness : Stand by !
To the drummer: Roll off! At the third roll, or when
execution signal "leaves the truck :
Let fall !
Lay in ! Lay down from aloft !
The buntlines are hauled up about two-thirds of the top-
mast, or square with the yards. Top-gallant sails and roy-
als hang down, their clews hauled up snug. The head sails
are spread on the booms, heads of fore and aft sails hauled
about half-way out.
The booms remain triced up.
Do not allow the leeches to be stopped in along the
yards.
When loosing, if the sails are reefed, first let fall, shake
< >ut the reefs and then pull up the buntlines or haul out the
bowlines, as the case may be.
If boats are to be lowered at colors, give the command
in season:
Bont-keepevfi aft to lower your boats! and lower at the
tliird roll. The falls should be hooked in their beckets and'
hauled taut, boat stoppers passed inboard and the boats
liauled out to the booms, with their colors set, awnings
»-|>read, or sails loosed, as may be tho example of the flag-
sliip. In addition to the boat-keepers of the day, their re-
liefs lay aft to tend the boats' falls.
TO FURL SAIL.
{Loosed to the buntlines.)
The preparatory signal being made, direct the boatswain
to call :
Furl sail!
If the light yards are across, on hauling down the pre-
paratory signal :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops !
Have hands by the clew-jiggers and buntlines, man the
buntwhips, spanker and trysail brails.
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 245
As execution signal is hoisted :
Aloft topmen! Lower yardarin on the sheer pole!
Topgallant and royal yardmen start at this command
from the tops.
Aloft lower yardmen ! Lay out 1 The men all get
in their places, the sails not to be handed until the execu-
tion signal is hauled down, then :
Furl away !
The leeches are passed in rapidly, the sail gathered up
snugly, and the caskets passed square. When ready, the
clew-]iggers and buntlines are eased down and buntwhips
hauled up. Haul taut clew-lines and topsail sheets, clew-
Kamets, Dowlines, leech-lines and brails. Put covers on
fore and aft sails.
When ready aloft :
Lay in ! Stand by the booms !
Down booms ! Lay down from aloft 1
And then :
Square Yards !
Haul taut the rigging, square yards as described further
on, clear up the decks and pipe down.
If the light yards are in tne rigging, the sails are furled
there — ^the light yardmen laying up in the lower rigging
after the men have been sent aloft.
It will be noticed that the time of giving the commaml
to Lay aloft and to fi'RL differ from the instructions given
in the signal book ; but the method adopted is the best to
insure the working together of other ships with the flag-
ship. This is presumed to be the object of port drills in
squadron.
If the drills are to be competitive in their character, an
easy method of attaining the object is to hoist a general
signal without preceding it by the preparatory.
Rema^rl^cs on F'urling-. To furl a sail well,
every cloth must be gathered up in handfuls, and each
handful stowed. When this is done, let all hands lay
hold of the skin ; shake the slack canvas into it, and theii
toss the sail up, bringing the skin as a covering over the
upper side of it. The bunt in this way will be low and
round. The outside only will be wetted in the event of
ram, and will dry without even being loosed.
Hig-Ii And Low Bxintn. Low, or rolling bunts,
require bunt-gaskets, and are tedious to stow, anoT secure
snugly ; high or French bunts require no gaskets, but
secure to the topsail-tye by a becket and stop. Being
larger, and more open abaft, the slack sail is more easily
stowed in them than in low bunts ; neither is any time or
labor lost about bunt-gaskets, a circumstance not to be
overlooked, in competing with other vessels.
The look is a matter of taste : in foreign navies topsail
yards are thought neatest, with first or second-reef earings
240
PORT DRILLS, BTC.
hauled partly out, but neither reef -points tied, nor bunt-
gaskets on. In our service the reefs are never hauled out
for furling and the bunt is peaked up by the bunt-jigger.
Bunt-gaskets are used in addition, though objected to by
many officers, as superfluous.
The proper place for the bunt- whip glut is two-thirds the
depth of the first reef.
TO LOOSE SAIL TO A BOWLINE.
{Color Evolution.)
Preparatory sic^nal being made, the boatswain and his
mates give the call :
Loose sail !
The men bein^ up. Lead along and man the bowlines and
head halUard.s! This indicates the manner in which the
sails are loosed.
As preparatory signal is hauled down :
LOOSERS OF TOPGALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS IN THE TOPS I
Let go and overhaul clew-jiggers, buntlines, leechlines^
down-hauls, reef -tackles, brails, and royal and topgallant
clew-lines. Lead out and man bowlines, head hiSliards
and sheets and spanker and trysail out-hauls and sheets ;
but a turn is kept on the pins till the men are ready aloft.
On hoisting of execution signal :
Beat the call! Aloft sail loosers !
Man the boom-tricing lines! Trice up !
Lay out ! Loose ! Toggle the boivlines!
At this order the men in the bunt toggle the bowlines to
the buntline toggles. Unhook topsail sheets and clewlines;
or. overhaul the latter roundly.
The sails being ready and gear manned :
Stand by !
To the drummer : Roll off!
At the third roll (or when execution signal leaves the
truck) :
Let fall ! Haul out ! Hoist away I
Lay in ! Lay down from aloft !
The men on deck run away with the bowlines and head
halliards. The bowlines are hauled out square, the courses
let fall so as to hang square, head sails hoisted, and sheets
hauled aft, fore-and-aft sails hauled out, and trysail sheets
and spanker out-haul hauled aft.
Overhaul roundly the topgallant and royal clew-lines^
In foreign navies the topgallant and royal sheets are
hauled taut — ^the plan is not generally followed in our own
service. The booms remain triced up.
Observe remarks about reefed sails under Loosing to
the Buntlines.
PORT DRILLS^ ETC. 247
TO FURL SAIL FROM A BOWLINE.
The preparatory signal being made^ call :
Furl sail !
When preparatory signal is hauled down,
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops 1
Man the clew-jiaqers and huntlinesj head down hauls ,
spanker and trysau oralis!
Man the above-named gear, also the leechlines, top-
Sallant and royal clew-lines, and spanker and trvsail head
own hauls and clew ropes. Tend the head sheets and
halliards, trysail and spanker outhauls and top bowlines.
Signal of execution being hoisted :
Aloft topmen ! Lower yardmen on the sheer pole!
Aloft lower yardmen !
The topgallant and royal yardmen start from the tops
as the topmen start from tne deck.
Haul taut! Shorten sail 1
The men on deck let go the gear tended, and haul on the
gear manned.
Lay out 1
The men take their stations on the yards.
As the signal of execution is hauled down :
Furl away !
The bunt-jigeers are hauled taiit as soon as practicable
and bunt roused up, top bowlines untoggled and hitched to
the neck of the topsail tye-blocks, bights overhauled down
and stopped to the forward part of the top. Unhook clew-
jiggers and hook them in the top, hook clew-lines and sheets
and tacks, if unhooked before loosing.
The head and fore-and-aft sails are stowed and covers
put on.
When ready :
Lay in!
Stand by the booms ! Down booms 1
Lay down from aloft !
Then square yards, clear up the decks, and pipe down.
HAVING LOOSED TO A BOWLINE TO SHORTEN SAIL.
If the sails are sufficiently dry, it is usual to furl at
seven bells in the forenoon watch ; before furling, however,
it may become necessary to shorten sail. When a fresh
breeze springs up, a ship with so much canvas gets uneasy
at her anchor ; or, there may be indications of rain. For
whatever reason, if it becomes desirable, call
Shorten sail !
And when the people are up.
Aloft top-gallant and royal yardmen !
248 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
Man the clew-Jigaers and buntUnes, head doum-hauls!
spanker and trysail brails I
Man and tend the gear named under Fxtrlino from a
Bowline.
Haul taut ! Shorten sail I
Furl the topgallant sails and royals ! Stow the
plying jib !
Furling the light sails before the rest is a common prac-
tice, particularly when short handed. It is entirely op-
tional, however, and if preferred to furl all together, the
orders relating to them will be omitted. The same applies
to them when in the ri&^^in^. At the order. Shorten
sail, the bowlines and hailiaras are let go, the head sails
are hauled close down, the square sails are hauled up by
the clew-jiggers and buntlines, and the trysails and spanker
brailed up.
TO MEND SAIL
If the sails have been badly furled, or for any other rea-
son require restowing, the preparatory signal will be made.
Call:
Mend sail !
When the men are up, as the preparatory signal is hauled
down :
LoosERS of the topgallant-sails and royals in the
TOPS !
On hoisting of execution signal :
Aloft sail loosers !
Man the boom tricing-lines !
Trice up ! Lay out !
On hauling down of execution signal.
Mend the furl !
The gaskets are cast oflf and the sails are restowed, with
a fresh skin outside, the gaskets secured afresh.
When completed.
Lay in ! Stand by the booms !
Down booms ! Lay down from aloft I
If the sails are very badly furled, send aloft the
PURLERS instead of the loosers, and Let fall! then
Furl away !
The clew-jiggers and bimtlines are usually run up a
few feet while mending the furl, lowering as the bunt is
^stowed.
BENDING SAIL.
In practice, square sails should be kept on board ship (if
the sail-room space permits) ready for bending, made up a.s
furled.
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 241)
Preparations for I^eYiding-. All square sails
are fitted with gaskets, stitched on the head at equal dis-
tances.
Seize the sail straps to the heads of all three of the top-
sails at the middle eyelet holes ; let them always remam
there, and when using them, after the sail is roUea up, carry
the foremost leg round the after one, and seize its bight to
its own parts. Topmen are very apt to cut this seizing too
soon ; but by having the strap fast to the head, their mis-
take may be partly remedied by a pull on the sail burton,
which is always hooked to the after leg.
rFopsaiiH. Haul the head of the topsail along the
deck, after side downward ; gather all the slack canvas
back from the head ; lay the second reef -band along the
head, and haul this and the head taut fore and aft by the
earings. Bring the leeches as far as the reef -tackle cringles
along the head ; knot the fourth reef -earing into the third
reef-cringle, and the third into the second ; carry the clews
into the quarters about six feet over the head ; bring the
buntline toggles about a foot over the head between the
clews : coil all the remainder of the roping, so as not to
ride, leaving the bowline cringles out; face the foot and
gather up ; then face the head and roll up, pass the gaskets
taut ; stop the clews up abaft the head, after having passed
them over the fore part of the bunt ; seize the strap ; hook
the sail tackle ; knot the second reef -earing into the first
reef -cringle, the first into the head, unless buU-earings are
used on the yards ; and secure the head-earings along the
top of the sail on each side.
Fig. 373 and Fig. 375, Plate 7*3, show the mode of passing
sail straps. The latter with single legs is preferable for
f)ermanent straps, as it is easier to stow away aloft. Each
eg should be seized to the head of the sail.
Oonrsef^. Place, open out and stretch the heads of
the courses taut along the deck well amidships, after sides
down ; the foresail on the starboard side of the forecastle,
port head-earing well forward ; the mainsail in the port
gangway, bunt abreast the mainmast, starboard head-earing
forward ; gather the sail back from the head, making a
smooth surface ; stop the first reef-cringles to those of
the head-earing ; pass the leeches taut untu within six feet
of the clews, leaving the leechline cringles out. If the
leeches are too short to allow the clews to reach to the bunt
by taking the first reef -cringle to the head-earing cringle, a
bending cringle must be worked on the leech about a foot
under the head-earing cringle ; in which case, make the sail
up without seizing the first reef -cringle to the head-earing.
ghe yard-arm jiggers will hoOk to the bending cringle.)
aul the clews and the remainder of the leeches out clear of
the head of the sail ; carry the foot-rope up to the head,
leaving the buntline toggles out clear about the middle of
250 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
the sail ; gather sufficient of the slack sail to make a long
low bunt; the men cross over, face the head, roll up taut
and pass the gaskets ; coil and stop the earings to head of
the sail ; take the clews over, around and under the sail, and
stop them to the head of the sail ; place marks on the head
of sails, at distances from the middle equal to the distance
from the slings to the leechline blocks on the yards, so that
the leechlines will haul the sail up fair in benaing.
In bending courses and topsails together, the topsails
are placed fore and aft forward of their respective masts,
fore and mizzen on the port side, main on the starboard
side. The courses are atnwai*tships under their respective
yards.
Oear for Bendina Topsails, The sail burton, hooked be-
fore the sail leaves tne deck ; yard-arm jiggers, hooked when
sail is aloft.
1st. The sail burton is the top burton of the side on
which the topsail is swayed aloft. The upper block is
hooked into a strap at the crotch of the topmast-stav ; the
lower block and fall are sent on deck forward of all. To
the hook of the lower block secure a tail-block, through
which reeve the fall, leading it thence through a snatch-
block hooked to a bolt well forward. This arrangement
guys the sail clear as it goes aloft. The fall leads aft for
the fore and main, forward for the mizzen. The lower
block of the sail burton hooks into the sail strap. Fig. 266,
Plate 38, also Figs. :37:} and 375, Plate 72.
2d. The yard-arm jiggers have the lower blocks hooked
at the forward side of the top rim, ready for hooking into
the second reef -cringles of the topsail as soon as they are
high enough.
The topsail reef -tackles are used for this purpose.
Oear for Bending Courses, Buntlines, leechlines, and
yard-arm jiggers; all bent (or hooked) before the sail leaves
the deck.
Toggle the buntlines to the sail ; pass them abaft, under
and up forward around the bunt of the sail, around their
standing parts, and stop to their own parts.
Leechlines are clinched to their cringles and stopped to
their marks at the head of the sail.
The yard-arm jiggers are the reef -tackles ; lower blocks
hooking to the lirst reef-cringle, head-earings hitched to
standing parts oi the jiggers.
Gear for the Jib, The down-haul and halliards, and a
strap around the body of the sail to which the halliards are
hooked and down-haul bent.
Oear for the Spanker, If the gaff is not lowered, a whip
from unaer the top to hook into a strap around the head of
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 261
the sail. The detail does not differ from the description of
bending spanker given under Sails.
The Qourses, topsails, jib and spanker are generally bent
together. To perform the evolution, at the preparatory
signal the boatswain will be ordered to call *' Bend sail."
Loosers of topsails and courses, and men stationed at
boom tricing-lines, stand by to lav aloft.
The balance of the men in each part of the ship go below
and rouse up the sails, or if the hatches open fair to the
sail-room, clear these hatches away to rouse up the sails
from below with the spare main-top burton , overhauled
down abaft the top, or with the trysail vangs.
On hauling down of preparatory :
Aloft sail loosers ! Loosers of courses go on the lower
yards, overhaul lower blocks of clew-jiggers to the deck,
stand by to carry out upper blocks, cast adrift bunt-whips,
overhaul buntlines and leechlines to the deck.
Loosers of topsails ; shift upper block of sail-burton to
strap on stay, send down lower block and fall, forward ;
hook lower blocks of yardarm-jiggers to top rim, stand by
to carry out upper ones, secure back cloths, unless these
are sewn on the sail, cast adrift buntlines and bunt-
jiggers.
1/OOsers of jib lay out and bring in jib halliards and end
of down-haul, place centipedes.
On deck, let go and lead cut sail-burtons, buntlines,
leechlines and jib down-haul, lower spanker gaff and pre-
pare sails for going aloft as before directed.
Carry out yardarm-jiooers ! The men lay out with
the upper blocks and hook them, unclamp the booms, and if
the lignt yards are in the rigging stop their yard-ropes out
of the way.
Lay in on the yards ! The men aloft lay in and stand
by to receive the sail !
Man the sail-burtons and buntlines ; jib-halliards !
As the sifipal of execution is hoisted :
Haul tarn ! Sway aloft ! Pull up on the jib-halliards,
raising jib well clear of the rail ; run away with the sail-
burtons and jib down-haul. When the bunt of the top-
sail reaches the lower yard, start up the courses.
The yardarm-jiggers and leechlines should not be
touched, the sails hanging up and down the masts by the
burtons and buntlines. When high enough, with the
second reef cringle of the top-sails above the tops and the
bunt of the course abreast of its yard :
A turn with the burtons ! The men in the tops slew turns
out of the sails and hook the yardarm-jiggers.
Hook the bunt-whips and take the weight of the bunts
off the sails, the sail-burton can then be unhooked and the
strap gotten out of the way.
'Zrti POST DRILLS, ETC.
Stand by to lay aloft !
and when ready :
Alopt topmen ! Lower yardmen on the sheer pole!
Aloft lower yardmen !
Man the boom tricing-lines, yardartn-jiggers and leech-
lines !
Trice up I Haul out ! Lay out ! and bring to I as
the signal starts from the truck.
At the order Haul out :
Tap-sails are hauled out taut along the yard by the yard-
arm-jiggers, the burtons slacked until the middle bending
hole is abreast the jackstay.
Courses are hauled out by the yardarm-jiggers and
leechlines ; jib is swayed out by the down-haul.
At the order '' Bring to :
1st. Secure the midship stop and two robands of a side.*
2d. Pass two turns of the head-earings through their re-
spective eye-bolts and four turns through the thimble of the
backer and head-earing cringle.
3d. Secure the balance of the robands.
4th. Cut adrift the buntlines, leechlines and sail-strap^
and haul the former up clear.
Let go on deck ana cast off the yardarm-jiggers^ stand
by to carry in their upper blocks, hook the topsail reef-
tackles to their proper cringles ; hook the reef pendants to
the courses ; hook and haul taut buntwhips, toggle top-bow-
lines and topsail buntlines ; hook sheets and clew-lines to the
clews ; shackle tacks and sheets and hook clew-garnets to
clews of courses ; shift upper block of sail-burton to mast-
head pendant ; round up the burton on deck, shift its lower
block and fall abaft the topsail yard to its place.
The jib is swayed out bv its down-haul at the order
"sway aloft," tending the halliards ; land the tack on the
boom, book the tack, shackle the sheets, shift the down-
haul and halliards to their proper places, take off sail-strap,
hoist the sail as the hanks are being secured. Then haul
down and stow it, and put the cover on, unless sail is to be
made.
While the sails are bein^ bent, the signal will probably
be made. Make sail ! Order :
Stand by to let fall: Man the topsail sheets and hal-
liards !
*A metallic roband consists of a ga]vanize<l iron book which hooks upon the
bending jackHtuy and which has, on its forward side, a projecting lug. like a
button. The Iiend of this button is pierced with a thwartship hole. In bending,
the roband eyeha on the sail is put over the head of the lug, and when all the
robands have been attached, a piece of ratline stuff is rove through the heads ol
all the lugs, forward of the sail, as a preventer. The hooks trayerse on the
jackstay, so that the head of the sail may be stretched at any time by hauling on
the head earings without unbending the sail.
PORT DRILLS, BTC. 25?
The sail being bent and loosed :
Stand by ! Let fall !
Sheet home !
Lay in ! Stand by the booms 1
Down booms ! Lay down from aloft I
and proceed as in Making sail.
It is always advisable to proceed as above in bending new
sails or preparing for sea, to see if the gear is property bent
and the sail sets well.
Should there be no signal for making sail after bending,
then, the sails being bent and the furl " mended," as neces-
sary, order :
Lay in ! Stand by the booms !
Down booms ! Lay down from aloft !
The booms are lowered and clamped, and all the men
lay down from aloft, without straggling.
To Bend tlie Lig-ht Sa^ifs. The light sails
are penerallv bent immediately after the others, to do
which, give tne command :
Stand by to bend the light sails ! At this the yards are
prepared for getting out of the rigging, and the flving-jib
for going out, on the port side, owing to the lead or the
downhaiu ; when ready —
Man the topgallant and royal-yard ropes ! flying-jib hal-
liards !
Haul tant ! Sway out of the chains I Pull up on the
flying- jib halliards, and then haul out the flying-jib by the
down-haul at the same time that the yards are swayed in-
board. The yards being clear of the hammock nettings —
Lower away together !
The sails are bent and neatly furled, with the clews in ;
the yard-ropes hooked and manned ; the flying-jib being
bent at the same time. Then, command :
Man the yard-ropes !
Haul taut! Sway out together!
When placed in the rigging the bunts of the light sails
should be slewed outboard.
On board large ships, it is convenient to get these yards
in and out of the rigging with the lower clew-jiggers.
TO UNBEND SAIL.
{Port Routine — Light Yards in the Rigging.)
At preparatory signal, call :
Unbend sail 1
On hoisting of execution signal :
Aloft sail loosers !
The loosers of courses, topsails, jib, flying-jib, spanker
and trysails go to their stations.
/
254 PORT BRILLS, ETC.
Man the boom tricing-lines !
Trice up ! Lay out and unbend I
Cast gaskets adrift from the yard and pass them around
sail.
On Topsail-lkTarcl. Cast off midship stop, im-
hook the bunt-whip and secure it to the tye, secure the
buntlines around the body of the sail, take the bight of the
buntline on the side opposite to the one on which the sail is
lowered, and stop this bight snuglv to the head-earing
cringle. Hitch bowlines to tyes, unhook clews and stop
them to the buntlines, unhook reef-tackles and pass the
lower blocks into the top ; pass slij) stops if necessary to
hold up the sail, single the head-earings for easing away,
cut robands.
Make similar preparations on the lower yards, except
that the leechlines are secured to the slings and the reef«
pendants stopped along the yard to the jack-stay.
Hea^d. ^a.ilis. Cast adrift sail covers, secure them
with the sails, unshackle sheets, stopping them to the stays,
cap or wythe, as the case mav be, pass stops around the
sails, cast off gaskets, unhook the tacks, hook the halliards
and secure the down-haul to a strap around the body of the
sail, cut adrift the hanks, or untoggle them.
Trysails^ &c« Let the covers fall on deck, hook
whip under top and to strap around head of sail, unbend
head out-haul and down-haul and throat lashing, cut adrift
stops on hoops of gaff and mast, cast off tack lasning.
Man the nead halliards, tend buntlines, trysail whips,
brails and clew-rope and head down-hauls.
Stand by !
When execution signal is hauled down —
Ease away !
Ease away the earings, let go the slip stops on the yards,
run away with the topsail buntline of the opposite side,
tricing up the upper earing of the topsail. Run the head
sails up by their halliards some ten or twelve feet.
Lower together !
The men aloft see the vards clear of stops and yams, and
if so ordered strip them of reefing beckets and back cloths,
unless the latter are stitched to the sail. Ease in the head
sails by their down-hauls.
When ready —
Lay in ! Stand by the booms I
Down booms ! Lay down from aloft !
Then square yards, haul taut the gear and pipe down.
If the light yards are in the rigjging, sails oent, the sails
may be unbent in the rigging, but it is decidedly more ship-
shape to sway out of the chains and unbend inboard after
the evolution aloft has been performed.
If the light yards are aloft, sails bent, see Unbend sail
AND SEND DOWN TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS.
22
?OBT DRILLS, ETC. 255
Note. A handsome method for unbending topsails in
port is to reeve a li^ht line from deck, through a tail-block
on the lift, at the side iipon which the topsail is to be lowered,
taking the end along the yard and bending it to the opposite
head-earing. At order "ease away" keep fast the nead-
earing on the lowering side, ease away tne other earing,
hauling on the light line on deck and rousing over one head-
earing toward the other.
At order " lower away," lower the buntlines, keep fast
the light line and head-earing for a moment, to fully aecide
the sail's lowering well clear of the lower stay, top rim,
lower braces, &c., then lower rapidly together.
TO MAKE SAIL.
Preparatory signal will be hoisted ten (10) minutes before-
hand.
Direct boatswain to call :
Make sail !
As soon as the simal is made out, get the lower booms
alongside and unhook topping-lifts ; cast adrift rid^e-rope
and top up spanker boom. The crew ^o to their stations as
in 'loosing sails." In addition, hook leaders and snatch
topsail halBards and lead the halliards and sheets out ; lead
jib halliards through a leader hooked forward, and close
amidships, clear of the topsail halliards ; lead out spanker
outhaul ; lay down on deck, tacks, sheets, buntlines, clew-
lines, clew-garnets, leechlines, reef-tackles, down-hauls,
brails, braces, lifts and bowlines.
Signal of execution will be hoisted three (3) minutes be-
forehand.
loosers op the topgallant-sails and royals in the
tops!
Will be given as soon as the signal of execution reaches
the truck.
As the signal is hauled down :
Aloft sail loosers !
Man the topsail sheets and halliards ; jib halliards and
spanker outhaul !
The starboard fore and port main topsail halliards are
manned bv a few hands, and a good strain is kept upon
them, while the topsail yards are being hoisted.
Lay out ! Loose !
Will be given as soon as the men reach the vards. Keep
the sails well up on the yards and on the head booms : over-
haul topsail buntlines, tore and main leechlines ana bunt
whips ; the men on deck let go topsail buntlines and reef-
tackles ; tend bunt whips and topsail clewlines, down-hauls
and brails.
Stand by I
^.Vj PORT DRILLS, ETC.
Let fall I Sheet home ! Lay in ! Lay down from
ALOFT !
Hoist the jib ! Haul out the spanker 1
Tend the braces !
Hoist away the topsails !
Will be given when all ready aloft and about decks.
Make a short pause after the cautionary command "stan<l
by." The remaining parts of the command, save the last,
are given in quick succession. The jib is hoisted and the
spanker hauled out. The command to *' hoist the topsails"
is given as soon as the men are off the yards. The loosers,
(»xcept those stationed aloft to light up gear, rapidly la}*"
down from aloft and in from off the head booms, and clap
on their respective topsail halliards. The clewlines are
eased down, to prevent accident to the men on the lower
yards. The topsail braces are let go and tended. The miz-
zen topsail is hoisted by the men stationed on the halliards;
the men on the fore and main topsail halliards walk re-
spectively aft and forward, cross the deck abaft the engine-
rr>om hatch and forecastle, and clap on the main and fore
topsail halliards.
Well the mizzen topsail! Belay the fore topsail
halliards I Belay the main topsail halliards !
Will be ©Yen when the leeches of the respective topsails
are taut. The topsail halliards are belayed, unsnatched,
and coiled down clear for running.
Topgallant sheets and halliards!
Will be given as soon as the topsail halliards are be-
layed. The gear will be manned, and the topgallant clew-
lines, buntlines and braces tended.
Sheet home and hoist away the topgallant sails!
The topgallant sheets are hauled home ; the sails hoisted
to a taut leech j the braces are let go and tended. When
the sails are hoisted and the sheets home :
Royal sheets and halliards ! Flying jib halliards!
Overhaul down-haul and royal clewlines ; tend royal
braces.
Sheet home, hoist away ! hauling aft the port (star-
board) flying jib sheet.
The halliards and sheets are belayed and coiled down
clear for running.
Man the port {starboard) head and main, and starboard
(port) crossjack braces :
Fore and main tacks and sheets: let go and overhaul the
lower lifts : Clear away the bowlines : will be given as soon
as the royals and flying jib are set.
Haul taut ; brace up : clear away the rigging : haul
ABOARD.
A short pause is made after the cautionary command.
The yards are braced sharp up on the starboard (port) tack,
and the courses set as when ''by the wind. '
I
i
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 2o7
Haul fduf the weather lifts: steady out the bowlines:
Lay down from aloft:
Will be given as soon as the previous command has be(»n
executed. The lifts and bowlines are hauled well taut;
everybodv will lay down from aloft. The men on deck will
see everything clear for shortening sail,
A common error in this evolution is to man the topsail
sheets heavily, and ensure getting the sheets home before
attention is paid to hoisting rapidly. This makes heavy
work for- the sheets, sawing the foot of the sail across the
stay. It is better to put all but a few hands on the hal-
liards till the sail is about two-thirds up, then if the sheets
are not home, break off hands from the halliards to the
sheets as required.
TO SHORTEN SAIL
{Ship under all plain sail by the wind,)
, Preparatory signal will be hoisted ten (10) minutes be-
fore clewing up. Direct the boatswain to call :
Shorten sail!
When the preparatory signal is hauled down, the men
stationed in the tops to light up rigging and to lay out on
the lower yards to attend at tne topsail sheets, are sent
aloft: the former will go to the topmast lieads and over-
haul down the clew-jiggers forward of the topsails, and
the latter to the quarters of the lower yards, and stand by
to carry out the lower blocks. The men on deck lead out
the royal and topgallant braces, clew-lines, topgallant bunt-
lines, nying jib down-haul, and fore and main clew-garnets,
buntlines and leechlines.
Signal of execution will be hoisted three (3) minutes
before clewing up.
Man the royal and topgallant clewlines : flying jib down-
haul : fore ana main clew-garnets and. buntlines !
Will be given when the signal reaches the truck.
The fore and main clew-garnets, buntlines and leech-
lines ; royal and topgallant clewlines, weather braces, top-
gallant buntlines and flying jib downhaul are mannea.
Have hands by fore and main tacks and sheets, royal and
topgallant sheets and halliards, lee braces and flying jib
halliards. The men on the lower yards lay out and nook
the topsail clew- jiggers.
Haul taut : Shorten sail 1
Will be given when the signal of execution is hauled down ;
a short pause is made after the cautionary command. The
t?ear tended is let go, the lee royal and top-gallant braces
are let go and belayed at their square marks; run away
with the gear manned. The courses are hauled up: the
• J':"K'ri. ari'i tr.r w-a^r.-r-r.-r^T^ r^'ini-ii in an-i b^-iavt^l at
tr.^ir vj'iar*r rriark*: ;h-r i^jin^ j:'r> i-» haul-'i down. Tht-
ta/^:itM. .-^r-*^*.*. and L^Iliar»i-'* ar^ Li^-»i taut and belayed;
X\i*z W.*rf:r».\u>^., bintlin-^. c;*rw-s^am«rts. clrrw-lines, braces,
and doT«rn-r.A'jl are c.il-tl down.
Tend th*' topsail ^L»^t>. jib halliard-^, spanker outhaul
and V>p >K^wlin*-<*.
Haul ianf / Shortev sail !
Hi*; jib i.s hauled dr» wn and spanker brailed up; tht-
}fffw]ir}f^ are let ^o; the men run away with the topsail
clewdin^-M and buntlines. until up to their marks. The
ci';wdineH and buntlines are belayed and coiled down.
JUan the weather brciees ! Stand by the topsail halliards f
will be ^yen an h^mju as the topsails are clewed ap. The
men jump to the weather lower and topsail braces, and
lower liftSy and stand by to lower away on the topsail hal-
liards.
The men on the lower yards, unclamp the studding sail
iKH^ms, and lay in to the slm^ of the yard.
Settle away the topsail halliards! square away !
Will >>e given as soon as the gear is manned. The topsail
halliards are lowered roundly, until the topjsail yards are
down, when haul them taut, belay and coil them down.
The braces are hauled in and the lower lifts down and
belav(;d at their square marks, and coiled down.
Furl sail !
Will be given when the "signal of execution" for that
evolution is hoisted. This order will be repeated by the
boatswain and his mates, and executed as per furling sails
when looH(?d to the buntlines. But after '^ Aloft lower
YARDMEN, add : Man the boom tricing lines! Trice up !
If the ch^w-jiggers are already hooked (or not used) the
nuai stationed on the lower yardarms are not sent alott till
(execution signal is hoisted.
TO SQUARE YARDS.
Th(^ yards are generally squared daily in port at seven
bcOlH in thi' morning watch, and also after any exercise
aloft.
Ordor :
SguARK yards ! Call away the cutter!
Mastnion lay down braces and falls of lower lifts. The
Htiuuro vardniiMi stand bv to lay aloft.
The boatswain should first assure himself that the slings
of tljo light yartls are down in their places^ and also that
the nuists an^ proi>erly lined ; particularly the lofty spars
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 259
which are apt to get out. Then commencing forward, the
boatswain squares the yards by the braces, fining them by
the break of the forecastle, coamings of hatches, &c., as
may be most convenient.
The yards being squared by the braces, and the cutter
manned at the port gangway, as the boatswain leaves the
side command —
Aloft square yardmen !
Get the lift-jiggers on !
The square yardmen stand by to come up the racking^
seizing and tend the lifts. The boatswain pulls ahead of
the ship, the chief boatswain^s mate lays out to the flying
iibboom end, and repeats such orders as are issued by the
boatswain. The boatswain's mates place themselves at each
mast, and carry out the orders received.
When the yards are square by the lifts and braces, the
boatswain's mates go to the sides or poop to repeat such
orders as the boatswain may give in pulling around the
ship.
The boatswain carries with him a white, a red, and a blue
flag, each bent to a short staff, to denote respectively yards
on the fore, main, and mizzen masts. He faces the ship. A
flag held in the left hand signifies yards to starboard, that
is, the starboard lift must be hauled upon; in the right
hand, yards to port, port lift to be hauled upon.
For lower yards the flag is held depressed at an angle of
For topsail yards it is held horizontal.
For topgallant yards it is elevated 45°, and for royal
yards held vertically over the head.
Signal for topping up lower booms with empty hand.
The lower yards are squared first, beginning with the
fore, then the upper yards. In squaring the topsail-yards
by the lifts the laniards are come up to two or three turns,
and the jiggers hooked and hauled taut — that when topping
up on one the other may be eased by the jigger steadily.
When belay is piped clap on a heavy racking of spun-yarn.
In squaring light yards by the lifts, terid the oraceSy or
the yards will get bowed. The boatswain's mate at the
mast must see fnat in checking a light brace the yard is
kept square by the braces. Sometimes a hand must be sei .t
aloft to ride a light yard down.
Having squared the yards, the boatswain pulls around
the ship, directing all gear to be hauled taut, and boats and
lower Dooms squared. The stun'-sail booms should be
rigged out alike and heels square, gaflfs peaked up alike,
the head booms properly stayed (usually straight, or with
a slight downward curve — never with an upward curve).-
Harbor clothes-lines should be on a level from fore to miz-
zen mast, whips hauled up alike.
See that no ropes' ends are overboard or hanging from
2(70 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
the tops ; windsails squared ; hammocks leveled ; clew-
lines chock up : and that the tops, chains, &:c., look neat.
When satisned, the boatswain returns on board and re-
ports to the officer of the deck :
The yards are square and the rigging hauled taut.
And the decks being cleared up, he is directed to
PiPB DOWN !
At which the square yardmen lay down from aloft to-
gether.
HANDLING LIGHT YARDS.
For description of fittings on the yards see BiGOiNa
Ship.
Ti^ippinor Lines. The hauling end reeves through
a small tail-block. In port the other end is kept perma-
nently bent to the snorter, and when the yard goes aloft it is
toggled at the slings. It serves in this way to guy the yards
clear when going aloft.
In sendingdown the toggle is slipped at the first roll.*
^ITaiTcl Itopew. Tne after or hauling part of the
yard-rope is kept coiled down in the top, and is paid down
on decK and rove through a snatch-block hooKed to the
deck, abaft the mast, when prepared for use.
When not crossed the yards are kept in the lower rigging,
the topgallant yard on one side and the royal yard on the
other, their lower ends resting in a becket or stirrup, and
the upper end secured to the lorward shroud.
The fore and mizzen topgallant yards are kept on the
port side, the main on the starboard.
When the light yards are crossed the gear should always
ho bent and clear for making sail. The *' gear " comprehends
topgallant and rojal sheets and clewlines, topgallant bunt-
line and bunt-whip.
13u.lI-Hope for topgallant yards. A small bull's-
eve is secured to the forward swifter, at the height of
tlie upper topgallant yard-arm, when the yard is m the
rigging.
The bull-rope has a good-sized eye formed in its upper
end, and a small whip from the pm-rail tailed on to its
lower end ; or it mav reeve through a leader at the rail,
then through the bulrs-eye, with the standing part seized
to the swifter.
The eye (or bight) of the bull-rope is overhauled to the
lower yard, and there slipped over the ui)per yard-arm as
the yard comes down, in order to trice it into the rigging.
When in the rigging the upper yard-arm is secured l>y a
grab lashing and the eye of the bull-rope hove off and
rought down to the pin-rail, or the bight hauled taut.
* See these tripping lines coiled down clear when exercising at making oaU
with light yards aloft.
PORT PBILLS, BTC. 261
Grewkir Stops are placed on each side of the topmast
head, secured at the eyes of the topmast rigging. They are
used to stop in the topgallant sheets, topgallant clewline,
royal sheet and clewline, and eye of the topgallant lift and
brace.
Topgfallant StvLxi'-sa^il JTe^vel I31ock».
The eves of the jewel-blocks are marled to the eyes of the
topgallant lifts and braces.
»lieet» stud. Ole^wlineN of topgallant sails, also
of royals, are made fast together, so that they may be bent
with one motion.
C^nairtei' Blocks. When unhooked from the
yards, the topgallant quarter-blocks hook to the topmast
cap, royal quarter-blocks • to beckets at the eves of the top-
gallant rigging. Topgallant buntline and bunt-whip stop
to the forward edge of the topmast cap.
Indi^^idiial tstsitioiiH, showing number of men
aloft :
SENDING UP YARDS. J SENDING DOWN YARDS.
Tn top — To tend lifts, send In top-^To tend lifts and
down yard ropes and put checking lines, send down
on topgallant halliards.* yard ropes, take oflE top-
1 gallant halliards.
The captains of tops and two men.
TOPGALLANT YARDS.
On topmast cap — Rig upper i On topmast cap — Unbend
yard-arm, tend lizard, pass gear, stop out yard rope,
parrel, bend gear. cast off parrel, draw toggle
of tripping line.
One man.
On topmast crosstrees — Over-
haul lower lift and brace
down, assist with parrel
and gear.
One man.
On topmast crosstrees — Bear
off yard, unbend gear, as-
sist man on cap.
On topsail yard — Rig lower
?rara-arm, then in top to
ower lift.
One man (from the top).
On topsail yard — To bear
off.
In topmast rigging — To over-
haul down lower lift, then
in top.
One man.
In the top — At checking lines,
&c.
* VsobWj put on at croM-trees.
262 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
In lower rigging — Clear away
the upper yard-arm, then
to yard rope.
On lower yard — ^With eye of
bull rope to heave over
the upper yard-arm.
One man,
with additional assistance in the chains, as needed.
ROYAL YARDS.
SENDING rr YARDS. \ SENDING DOWN TABD6.
At jack — To rig upper yard- i At jack — Unbend gear, stop
arm, tend lizard, pass par- out yard rope, cast off par-
rel, bend gear. rel, draw toggle of tripping
line.
One man. .
On topmast cross-trees — Rig
lower yard-arm, bear off
yard, bend gear.
On topmast cross-trees — ^Un-
bend gear, light up yard
rope, bear off yard, &c.
One man.
In lower rigging — Clear away In lower rigging — Receive
yard, then to yard rope. yard and secure it.
One man.
Note. — The stations given above are those adopted in the
Navy Station bill. But a common practice is to put on both
royal lifts at the jack, the upper topgallant lift, Ac, at the
cap and the lower one at, or lust below, the cross-trees. In
each case the upper lift and brace is put on first, the yard
then swayed cnock up, and the lower lift put on. This
avoids overhauling down the lower lifts and braces.
TO CROSS TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS.
{Color evolution,)
Preparatory signal being made, give the order to call :
Up topgallant and royal yabds 1
The crew having gained their stations, when the pre-
paratory is hauled down.
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops !
Send down the yard ropes I
Lead them out and man them. When execution signal
is hoisted :
Beat the call !
This is the signal for the light yardmen to lay aloft from
the tops. (If not at colors substitute the order Aloft top-
gallant and royal yardmen !)
Set taut ! Sway out op the chains 1
At this command, the upper topgallant yard-arm is car-
ried clear of the top rim. the royal yard clear of the topsail
yard.
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 26^-
When the yards are steady and the men shortened in on
their holds —
Sway aloft ! When high enough for rigging the yard-
arms, the conmiand is given —
High enough ! And when rigged —
Sway higher !
When ready for crossing —
Tend the lifts and braces !
Stand by !
To drummer : Roll off! and at the third roll, or as signal
is hauled down :
Sway across I Bend the gear !
The yards are squared by lifts and braces.
Haul up the yard ropes ! *
When they are hauled up and neatly coiled away in the
tops. Then :
Lay down prom aloft !
When topgallant yards are across, the jack must be
hoisted and nauled down with the colors.
If a yard has been crossed with a lift and brace foul,
stop out the yard rope for a preventer lift lay out— take off
the lift and brace and clear it, then cast off the stop and
haul taut the yard rope.
TO SEND DOWN TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS.
(Color evolution,)
At five (6) minutes of sundown preparatory signal will
be made. Order the boatswain to call :
Down topgallant and royal yards !
when preparatory is hauled down,
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops I
Sevid down the yard-ropes!
At the hoisting of the execution signal three (3) minutes
before sundown :
Beat the call! The light yardmen lay aloft from the
tops. (If not at colors, substitute the command: Aloft
topgallant and royal yardmen I)
Snatch and lead along the yard ropes, man them (but not
too strongly), take them near a cavil ready to catch a turn
for lowermg, which should be done by a careful hand. The
tail blocks of the tripping lines are secured to eye-bolts well
forward of the mast and at the side. Yard ropes and trip-
ping lines are toggled in to the slings of the yards by a
toggle to be drawn at the first roll.
Man the yard-ropes and tripping lines ! Tend the lifts
and braces ! Stand by !
* Not usually given, if drills are to be continued.
204 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
Be careful to start nothing till the execution signal is
hauled down, then :
Sway !
Sway at the third roll if not working by signal.
Pause, till all the lifts and braces are clear, then
Lower away together !
Keeping a ^ood strain on the tripping lines.
The checking lines being hauled m and everything
secure aloft :
Lay down prom aloft !
When the yards are crossed in the morning, the vard-
rope is left stopped out to the quarter strap, and the oight
overhauled down and stopped in to the slings ; then at the
first roll at sunset, the stop may be cut or broken ; or toggle
it with the tripping-line toggle.
TO CROSS TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS AND
LOOSE SAIL TO A BOWLINE.
{Color evolution.)
When the preparatory signal is hoisted, call :
Loose sail ! Up topgallant and royal yards !
Lead along the bowlines and head halliards. (Indicates
fNanner of loosing.)
On hauling down the preparatory :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops !
Send down the yard ropes !
At signal of execution : Beat the call !
Aloft sail loosbrs ! Set tavt ! Sway out of the chains I
Man the boom tricing lines I
Sway ALOFT ! Trice up I Lay out and loose !
Man the bowlines, halliards^ and head outhauls!
As soon as the yards are high enough for crossing, th«
men on the topmast cap and jacK cast adrift the gaskets of
the lig^ht sailSy keeping fast the lower bunt gasket, and hold
the sails up.
When ready :
Roll off I
At the third roll (or when execution signal is hauled
down),
Sway across ! Let fall !
Lay in ! Lay down from aloft !
At which command the men run awav with the halliards
and bowlines, and head outhauls.
Bend the gear of the light sails!
The light yardmen lay down into the tops when they have
bent the gear, and will lay down on deck at the command:
Pipe down I
The evolution of Adding topgallant-masts, crossing yards
and loosing sail is also frequently performed with a well-
PORT DRILLS, ETC. *65
drilled crew, and is similar to the above, the masts being
fidded first, and the sail loosers sent aloft when the yards
are swayed out of the chains.
TO SEND DOWN TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS
AND UNBEND SAIL.
{Sails loosed to a bowline.)
Preparatory signal being made, call : |
Furl and unbend sail I
When preparatory is hauled down :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops I
Send down the yard ropes I
Man and tend the gear as in furling sail from a bowline.
When execution signal is hoisted :
Alopt topmen ! Lower yardmen on the sheer pole f
Aloft lower yardmen I Haul taut I Shorten saiu
Note. If short-handed, it may be necessary to shorten
sail before the topmen are sent aloft, in which case. Shorten
SAIL ! as execution signal is hoisted.
Man the boom tricing lines! Trice up !
Lay out ! Furl and unbend 1
Oet the light yards ready for cominq down I
In addition to the ^ear named and manned in unbend-
ING SAIL, man the yard-ropes and tripping-lines.
Tend the lifts and braces ! Stand oy !
As the simal of execution is hauled down :
Sway ! Ease away !
Sway the yards, ease away the head-earings.
Lower away together !
Lower the light yards on deck ; unbend their sails.
Lay IN ! Stand by the booms I
Down booms !
Lay down from aloft I
When the light sails are unbent —
Man the topgallant and royal yard ropes!
Sway out In the chains !
Square y;ards ; clear up the decks and pipe down.
It in this instance the topgallant-masts are also to be
sent down, take the strain off the fids * by swaying up on
the mast-ropes before sending the men aloft.
After the vards are swayed, and the royal yardmen off
the jack, the nd is drawn by the man on the cross-trees.
The command Man the mast-ropes would come in after
Send down yard-ropes.
The yard ropes in this instance reeve through jack-
blocks, as explained further on.
* This does not mean to draw them, as topmen are likely to do, U not ctiVk
tioned.
266 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
SENDING UP AND DOWN TOPGALLANT-MASTS.
The Mast-rope reeves from aft forward through the
topgallant top-block, at the topmast cap, then through
the thimble of a lizard and the sheave in the heel of
the mast. The end is hitched to a cap bolt on the op-
posite side.
The Lizard is lone enough to pass through the royal
sheave-hole, around the standing part of the mast-rope,
and to secure with two half -hitches to its own part close to
the thimble.
The Heel-rope is fitted with a tail-block, like a tripping-
line. When in use its upper end is hitched to the link in
the heel of the topgallant-mast ; lower end and block paid
down on deck.
Preventer Fid, If used, each mast is bored parallel to
and about sixteen inches above the regular fid, to take a
preventer fid of iron, about an inch in diameter, with an
eye in the end. To this eye is secured a laniard made fast
to the eyes of the topmast rigging.
The reeving line has a tail-block which secures to the
after topgallant shroud. Both ends of the whip are sent
on deck, and one end secured to the mast-rope, previously
•rove through its top-block and lizard. When swayed aloft,
hook the top-block, cast off the reeving line, and reeve the
mast-rope.
The flying jih heel-rope reeves through a tail-block which
secures to the jib-stav; Hitch the end of the heel-roi)e
through the score in the heel. The flying jib down-haul is
bent to the heel of the boom to assist in rousing in.
The flying jib, if bent, is roused in with tne boom and
secured alongside the jib-boom.
The flying jib-boom is not usually rigged in when exer-
cising top^aUant-masts.
Topgallant and royal yard-ropes. In port, when top-
gallant-masts are to be frequently sent up and down, the
mast-ropes are kept aloft ready for use, and the yard-ropes
rove off through the jack-blocks at the eyes of the top-
gallant and royal rigging.
The topgallant-masts when down are landed up and
down and forward of their respective masts. The flying
jib-boom is rigged in alongside of the jib-boom, its end
pointing througn the wythe.
When the topgallant-mast is up and down, put a stop
around the royal pole, securing it to lower stays. If there
is any danger of tne ship's rolling, secure the heel also, or
land the mast on deck.
In swaying aloft to fid, when short-handed, the standing
part of the mast-rope^ may lead through a second top-block,
hooked to the eye-bolt where the end is usually hitched.
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 267
The top burton of the side (led down on deck) is then hooked
into a thimble clinched in the end of the mast-rope. After
swaying the mast aloft as high as possible with the mast-
rope, cross the deck and clap on the burton.
In unfidding, belay the mast-rope, pull up on the burton,
out fid, belay burton, and lower with the mast-rope.
TO SEND DOWN TOPGALLANT-MASTS.
{Port Routine.)
Light yards on deck, using lizards.
Preparatory signals being made, call—
Down topgallant-masts I
On hauling down preparatory signal :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops I
Send down heel-ropes and reeving lines !
On deck. Get up the mast-ropes, and bend on the
reeving lines ready to sway aloft. Let go all ^ear holding
the mast ; lifts, braces^ and topgallant studding-sail hal-
liards. Stand by to come up royal and topgallant back-stays.
In tops. Pay down reeving line aoaft and heel-rope
forward.
On hoisting of execution signal :
Aloft topgallant and royal yardmen !
On decky slack up topgallant and royal back-stays, stays
and flying-jib guys ; sway aloft the mast-ropes and top-
gallant top-blocks ; lead out the mast-ropes.
Aloft. Slack up topgallant and royal shrouds and stays ;
hook topsail clew-jiggers to the crane lines on the back-
staySy and haul them taut ; unhook block (if any) at the
heel of the topgallant-mast, shift to strap on collar of top-
mast stay, bend the heel-rope, secure the Iblock of the reev-
ing whip to the after topgallant shroud, and when mast-
rope ana block are swayea aloft, hook the block and reeve
the mast-rope ; cast off laniards of Jacob's ladder, and light
up all the ^ear and topgallant shrouds.
On Flying jib-boom and bowsprit cap. Secure tail-block
of heel-rope, pass the heel-rope, bend the flying jib down-
haul to the heel of the boom ; render the flying jib and
royal stays through their scores, and cast off belly lashing,
if used. Let go flying- jib halliards.
Man the topgallant mast-ropes !
Haul taut I Sway and unpid !
Haul out the regular fid, stand by to haul out the pre-
venter.
On bowsprit cap, unclamp the heel of the flying jib-
boom. Take turns for lowering fore and aft (or for easmg
in).
268 PORT drill:;, etc.
Stand by! Men aloft draw preventer fid.
As signal of execution is hauled down :
Lower away together ! Rig in !
Lower roundly till the topgallant-mast head is clear, then
handsomely till the lizard is passed through the royal
sheave-hole : haul on the heel-rope to keep the heel clear,
and land the masts up and down with their heels on chocks.
Ease in the flying jib-boom, hauling in on the down-haul ;
secure the spar alongside the jib-boom. In the chains and
head stop in the bights of all topgallant and royal stays and
back-stays.
Aloft. Open the gate when the topgallant-mast head is
abreast of the cap ; pass the lizard ; secure the topgallant
and roval funnels to the cap, and make everything snug
about the cross-trees and in the tops.
As soon as the work is done ;
Lay down from aloft 1
TO SEND UP TOPGALLANT-MASTS.
V
{Pot't Routine.)
The mast-ropes being rove off.
Preparatory signal being made, call :
Up topgallant-masts 1
When preparatory signal is hauled down :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops 1
On deck. Lead out mast-ropes and heel-rope of flying
jib-boom ; have straps and jiggers ready for setting up top-
gallant and royal stays, back-stavs and flying jib guys ; let
go royal and topgallant gear, lifts, braces, clewlines, bunt-
unes, &c., and topgallant studding-sail halliards.
Man the topgallant biast-ropes 1
At the same time man the flying jib heel-rope.
Signal of execution being hoisted :
Aloft topgallant and royal yardmen !
At cross-trees. Cut stops on royal and topgallant stays.
At the cap. Place the truck and funnels fair for receiv-
ing the topgallant-mast ; see signal halliards and royal
braces clear.
In the tops. Out the stops on the topgallant and royal
shrouds ; tnence to the topsail-yard to keep mast on the
right slue.
Forward. Cast off lashings that secure flying jib-boom ;
have clamp ready for heeL
Sway aloft !
Men on the topsail-yard keep the mast on the right
slue for Adding, using a heaver through the heel.
At the cross-trees. The lizard is cast off and mast-head
pointed ; clamp the gate when the heel is above the topsail-
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 269
yard ; light up rigging : stand by with preventer, then with
regular fid.
On the cap. Place the truck and funnels.
The flying jib-boom is roused out by its heel-rope, bear-
ing down on the heel if necessary.
When the sheave of the topgallant-mast arrives above
the cap, shorten in on the mast-rope.
As execution signal is hauled down :
Sway and fid !
At the topmast cap keep the Jacob's ladder from
fouling ; * give timely warning if any gear holds the mast ;
prepare reeving line to send down mast-rope, if desired.
At cross-trees shove in preventer, and then regular fid
as soon aspossible. When fid is in. sing out " Launch !^^
Cast on the mast-rope, send it down with the top-block,
by the reeving line, it desired, then carry the latter into
the top. Unhook clew-jiggers from crane lines.
Set up all topgallant and royal shrouds, stays and back-
stays ; naul taut on deck all topgallant and royal gear ;
stow away mast-ropes, luffs, and jiggers.
When ready aloft :
Lay down prom aloft I
If these exercises are to be continued the mast-ropes re-
main rove off in port.
TO SEND DOWN TOPGALLANT AND ROYAL YARDS
AND TOPGALLANT MASTS.
{Color evolution.)
Mast ropes rove off.
The preparatory signal being made, call :
Down topgallant and royal yards and topgallant
MASTS I
Men go to their stations for sending down the light yards
excepting those who can be spared to prepare for coming
up the topgallant and royal back-staj^s, &c.
On hauling down of preparatory signal :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops I Send
down the yard-ropes and h'eel-ropes !
The execution signal being hoisted :
Beat the call, or
Aloft topgallant and royal yardmen I
Man the yard ropes and tripping lines!
Tend the lifts and braces ! Stand by !
As execution signal is hauled down,
* A small qnarterround chock on after part of topmast-head will accomplish
this purpose. Similarly a scorod wedge forward on the under side of the cap is
used to prevent the hounds from catching.
23
270 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
Roll off! At third roll:
Sway ! Lower away 1
The men on the jack lay down to the cross-trees as soon
as the yards are swayed.
Man the mast-ropes ! Swat and unfid 1
When ready : Lower away together 1 Ria m I
And when everything is secure aloft :
Lay down from aloft !
TO SEND UP TOPGALLANT MASTS AND TOPGALLANT
AND ROYAL YARDS.
{Color evolution,)
Masts up and down.
The preparatory signal being made, call :
Up topgallant masts and topgallant and royal
yards!
Men go their stations for sending up topgallant masts.
When preparatory signal is hauled down :
Topgallant and royal yardmen in the tops 1
Man the topgallant mast ropes I
At the same time man the flying jib heel rope.
When the signal of execution is hoisted.
Aloft topgallant and royal yardmen I Sway aloft
AND FID !
When Added, ^^ Launch ^^ (the fore, main, or mizzen).
Then go to stations for crossing light yards.
Man the yard ropes ! Beat the call I Sway out of
THE chains I
When the yards are up and down :
Sway aloft I
Proceed as in sending up topgallant and royal yards.
When ready for crossing :
Tend the lifts and braces !
Stand by ! As signal is hauled down, Roll off I At the
third roll :
Sway across ! Bend the gear !
And when ready :
Lay down from aloft !
For quick work the topgallant mast ropes and topgallant
yard ropes should be on the same side, the men turning^
from one to the other.
PORT ROUTINE-MISCELLANEOUS.
To H^ipr Oixt cincl In T^owei* Booms.
Having the booms rigged for port and ready, command:
Man the boom topping-lifts ! Forward guys ! This gear is
manned, both sides equally, if by the watch, first part star-
PORT DRILLS, ETC. 271
board side, second part port side, and have a hand to tend
the after-guy.
Hani taut ! Top up I
Walk away with the topping lifts until the blocks are
down to the mark. When, Rig out! ease away the after-
guys and square the booms.
To get them alongside — Man the after-gnys! Tend the
topping-lift and forward guy! Set taut! Rig in!
To Spi*eacl A-wninpr®* Place the awning
stanchions and ridge ropes, get the awnings up out of the
sail room and fore-and-aft in their respective parts of the
ship. (If awnings are up and on a stretch they must be
slacked down together to loose). Call :
Spread awnings !
Loose the awnings, haul out on the fore-and-aft tackles,
reeve and man the earings. When ready,
Haul out ! and when the earings are out,
Lay up and Bring to !
The men all lay out together, haul out the side stops,
expending the ends. Pass the lacings connecting the
dinerent awnings. When finished, Lay in !
Let go crow-foot halliards before hauling out earings
and stops, and haul taut again after these are passed.
To FiM-l ^vrning-is. Call :
Furl awnings I
Men being up :
Lay up and cast off side stops !
At the same time cast adrift the lacings. When ready,
Ease away ! Lay in !
The earings are eased away together, the men lay in,
roll up the awnings neatly^ hook tne fore-and-aft tackles,
and HAUL OUT .! together.
Ha III mock Grirt lines a^ncl Hax'l>or
Clothes-lines are fitted double. In the bight of the
line is seized a hook and thimble : the hook secures to a bolt
in the stem. The two lines leading forward pass through
thimbles in rope iackstays that hang up and down each
mast. Forward, the ends of the lines are spliced together
around the after-sheave of a fiddle-block. Through the for-
ward sheave is rove a whip, one end spliced into a block
hooked at the bowsprit cap, the other rove through the
fiddle-block, and thence through the block on the cap and
inboard.
The rope jackstav at each mast has an eye in its upper
end for the mast-whip and a tail at the lower end to use as
a down-haul.
These lines are prepared beforehand, and triced up at
the third roll at sunset, at which time boats are also
hoisted.
To HiOiver "Wasli Clothes Avith the
A-wning-s Spread. ; after the men are on deck :
272 PORT DRILLS, ETC.
Stand by to lay out! When ready, Lay out! Cast off
side tops — Easb away! Lay in!
Easing away the earings and slacking the lacings, then :
Pipe down! the clothes; and when the lines are triced
up again, or unhooked for sending below, haul out the
earings; Stand by to lay out! Sec, as in spreading awn-
ings.
Have the master-at-arms on deck to look out for cloth-
ing of men away in boats. See the lines weeded of rope-
yarns before tricing up again or stowing below, but it is
still better to enforce the use of regular clothes stops, which
are secured to the clothing and cast adrift, not cut.
In firing a salute, with scrubbed hammocks or clothes
on the lines, man the down-hauls and lower and haul down
before the first gun, tricing up again after the last gun.
CHAPTER XIX.
INTERNATIONAL REGULATION'S FOR PREVENTING
COLLISIONS AT SEA.
(See Act of Congress, Aug. 10, 1800; May 25, 1804; June 10, 188G.)
VESSELS' LIGHTS, AND RULES OF THE ROAD.
The following regulations for preventing collisions at
sea are law, by international agreement, and have to be fol-
lowed by all public and private vessels upon the high seas
and in all waters connected therewith, navigable by sea-
going vessels.
Preliminai^y Definitions. In the following
rules every steam-vessel which is under sail and not under
steam is to be considered a sailing-vessel, and every vessel
under steam, whether under sail or not, is to be considered
a steam- vessel.
The word '* steam-vessel" shall include any vessel pro-
pelled by machinery.
A vessel is **imder way" within the meaning of these
rules when she is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore,
or aground.
LIGHTS, AND SO FORTH.
The word *' visible" in these rules when applied to lights
shall mean visible on a dark night with a clear atmosphere.
Article 1. The rules concerning lights shall be complied
with in all weathers from sunset to sunrise, and during such
time no other lights which may be mistaken for the pre-
scribed lights shall be exhibited.
Art. 2. IMast-Head. Lig-ht. A steam-vessel
when under way shall carry — (a) On or in front of the fore-
mast, or if a vessel without a foremast, then in the forepart of
the vessel, at a height above the hull of not less than twenty
feet, ai^ if the breadth of the vessel exceeds twenty feet,
then at a height above the hull not less than such breadth,
so, however, that the light need not be carried at a greater
height above the hull than forty feet, a bright white light,
so constructed as to show an unbroken light over an arc of
the horizon of twenty points of the compass, so fixed as to
throw the light ten points on each side of the vessel, namely,
274 PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on either
side, and of such a character as to be visible at a distance
of at least five miles.
(b) Side I-^i^IitH* On the starboard side a green
light so constructed as to show an unbroken light over an
arc of the horizon of ten points of the compass, so fixed as
to throw the light from right ahead to two points abaft the
the beam on the starboard side, and of such a character as
to be visible at a distance of at least two miles.
(c) On the port side a red light so constructed as to show
an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of ten points of
the compass, so fixed as to throw the light from right ahead
to two points abaft the beam on the port side, and of such a
character as to be visible at a distance of at least two miles.
(d) The said green and red side-lights shall be fitted with
inboard screens projecting at least three feet forward from
the light, so as to prevent these lights from being seen
across the bow.
(e) Jl.a.ng'e I^i^IitH. A steam-vessel when under
way may carry an additional white light similar in con-
struction to the light mentioned in subdivision (a). These
two lights shall be so placed in line with the keel that one
shall be at least fifteen feet higher than the other, and in
such a position with reference to each other that the lower
light shall be forward of the upper one. The vertical dis-
tance between these lights shall be less than the horizontal
distance.
Art. 3. Towing* T^ipfhts*. A steam-vessel when
towing another vessel shall, in addition to her side-lights,
carry two bright white lights in a vertical line one over the
other, not less than six feet apart, and when towing more
than one vessel shall carry an additional bright white light
six feet above or below such light, if the length of the tow,
measuring from the stern of the towing vessel to the stem
of the last vessel towed, exceeds six hundred feet. Each of
these lights shall be of the same construction and character,
and shall be carried in the same position. as the white light.
mentioned in article two (a), excepting the additional light,
which may be carried at a height of not less than fourteen
feet above the hull.
Such steam-vessel may carry a small white light abaft
the funnel or af termast for the vessel towed to steer by, but
such light shall not be visible forward of the beam.
Art. 4. Si>ecia,l Lig-litsi*, (a). A vessel which from
any accident is not under command shall carry at the same
height as a white light mentioned in article two (a), where
they can best be seen, and if a steam-vessel in lieu of that
light, two red lights, in a vertical line one over the other,
not less than six feet apart, and of such a character as to
b(^ visible all around the* horizon at a distance of at least
PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA. 275
two miles; and shall by day carry in a vertical line one over
the other, not less than six feet apart, where they can best
be seen, two black balls or shapes, each two feet in diameter.
(b) A vessel employed in laying or in picking up a tele-
graph cable shall carry in the same position as the white
light mentioned in article two (a), and if a steam-vessel, in
lieu of that light, three lights in a vertical line, one over the
other, not less than six feet apart. The highest and lowest
of these lights shall be red, and the middle light shall be
white, and they shall be of such a character as to be visible
all around the horizon at a distance of at least two miles.
By day she shall carry in a vertical line, one over the other,
not less than six feet apart, where they can best be seen,
three shapes -not less than two feet in diameter, of which
the highest and lowest shall be globular in shape and red
in color, and the middle one diamond in shape and white.
(c) The vessels referred to in this article, when not mak-
ing way through the water, shall not carry the side-lights,
but when making way shall carry them.
(d) The lights and shapes required to be shown by this
article are to be taken by other vessels as signals that the
vessel showing them is not under command and can not
therefore get out of the way.
These signals are not signals of vessels in distress and
requiring assistance. Such signals are contained in article
thirty -one.
Art. 5. I^i^IitK Toi* Sailing— Vesseln and.
Vesselw in To^v. A sailing-vessel under way and
any vessel being towed shall carry the same lights as are
prescribed by article two for a steam-vessel under way, with
the exception of the white lights mentioned therein, which
they shall never carry.
Art. 6. X^iglitH for Small T^ewwelH. When-
ever, as in the case of small vessels under way during bad
weather, the green and red side-lights can not be fixed, these
lights shall be kept at hand, lighted and ready for use ; and
shall, on the approa(^h of or to other vessels, be exhibited
on their respective sides in sufficient time to prevent col-
lision, in such manner as to make them most visible, and so
that the green light shall not be seen on the port side, nor
the red light on the starboard side, nor, if practicable, more
than two points abaft the beam on their respective sides.
To make the use of these portable lights more certain and
easy the lanterns containing them shall each be painted
outside with the color of the light they respectively contain,
and shall be provided with proper screens.
Art. 7. Lig-htK f <>!• Small Steam and Sail-
ing—Vessels and i<>r Open X^oatK. Steam-
vessels of less than forty, and vessels under oars or sails of
less than twenty tons gross tonnage, respectively, and row-
276 PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
ing boats, when under way, shall not be required to carry
the lights mentioned in article two (a), (b), and (c), but if
they do not carry them they shall be provided with the fol-
lowing lights :
First, steam-vessels of less than forty tons shall carry —
(a) In the forepart of the vessel, or on or in front of the
funnel, where it can best be seen, and at a height above the
gunwale of not less than nine feet, a bright white light con-
structed and fixed as prescribed in article tM o (a), and of
such a character as to be visible at a distance of at least
two miles.
(b) Green and red side-lights constructed and fixed as
prescribed in article two (b) and (c), and of such a character
as to be visible at a distance of at least one mile, or a com-
bined lantern showing a green light and a red light from
right ahead to two points abaft the beam on their respective
sides. Such lanterns shall be carried not less than three
feet below the white light.
Second. Small steamboats, such as are carried by sea-
going vessels, may carry the white light at a less height
than nine feet above the gunwale, but it shall be carried
above the combined lantern mentioned in subdivision
one (h).
Tnird. Vessels under oars or sails of less than twenty
tons shall have ready at hand a lantern with a green glass
on one side and a red glass on the other, which, on the ap-
proach of or to other vessels, shall be exhibited in sufficient
time to prevent collision, so that the green light shall not
be seen on the port side nor the red light on the starboard
side.
Fourth. Rowing boats, whether under oars or sail, shall
have ready at hand a lantern showing a white light which
shall be temporarily exhibited in sufficient time to prevent
collision.
The vessels referred to in this article shall not be obliged
to carry the lights prescribed by article four (a) and article
eleven, last paragraph.
Art. 8. Lights foi- Pilot- Vessels. Pilot-
vessels when engaged on their stations on pilotage duty
shall not show the lights required for other vessels, but
shall carry a white light at the masthead, visible all around
the horizon, and shall also exhibit a flare-up light or flare-
up lights at short intervals, which shall never exceed fifteen
minutes.
On the near approach of or to other vessels they shall
have their side-light lighted, ready for use, and shall flash
or show them at short intervals, to indicate the direction in
which they are heading, but the green light shall not be
shown on the port side, nor the red light on the starboard
side.
1»RKVENT1NG COLLlSIOKS AT SEA. 277
A pilot-vessel of such a class as to be obliged to go
alongside of a vessel to put a pilot on board may show the
white light instead of carrying it at the masthead, and may,
instead of the colored lights above mentioned, have at hand,
ready for use, a lantern with a green glass on the one side
and a red glass on the other, to be used as prescribed above.
Pilot-vessels, when not engaged on their station on pilot-
age duty, shall carry lights similar to those of other vessels
of their tonnage.
Art. 9. Lights^etc.jof Fishing"- Vessels.
Fishing-vessels of less than twenty tons net registered ton-
nage, when under way, and when not having their nets,
trawls, dredges, or lines in the water, shall not be obliged to
carry the colored side-lights ; but every such vessel shall in
lieu thereof have ready at hand a lantern with a green glass
on the one side and a red glass on the other sidie, and on ap-
proaching to or being approached by another vessel such
lantern shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent a
collision, so that the green light shall not be seen on the
port side, nor the red light on the starboard side.
ILiig-Iits forFisliing'-'Vessels oflTEvxro-
pestn Coasts. The following portion of this article
applies only to fishing-vessels and fishing-boats when in the
sea oflf the coast of Europe lying north of Cape Finisterre :
(a) All fishing- vessels and fishing-boats of twenty tons
net registered tonnage or upward, when under way, and
when not having their nets, trawls, dredges, or lines in the
water, shall carry and show the same lights as other vessels
under way.
(b) All vessels when engaged in fishing with drift-nets
shall exhibit two white lights from any part of the vessel
where they can be best seen. Such lights shall be placed
so that the vertical distance between them shall be not less
than six feet and not more than ten feet, and so that the
horizontal distance between them, measured in a line with
the keel of the vessel, shall not be less than five feet and
not more than ten feet. The lower of these two lights shall
be the more forward, and both of them shall be of such a
character and contained in lanterns of such construction as
to show all round the horizon, on a dark night, with a clear
atmosphere, for a distance of not less than three miles.
(c) All vessels when trawling, dredging, or fishing with
any kind of drag-nets shall exhibit, from some part of the
vessel where they can best be seen, two lights. One of
these lights shall be red and the other shall be white. The
red light shall be above the white light, and shall be at a
vertical distance from- it of not less than six feet and not
more than twelve feet; and the horizontal distance between
them, if any, shall not be more than ten feet. These two
lights shall be of such a character and contained in lanterns
278 PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
#
of such construction as to be visible all around the horizon,
on a dark night, with a clear atmosphere, the white light
to a distance of not less than three miles and the red light
of not less than two miles.
(d) A vessel employed in line-fishing, with her lines out,
shall carry the same lights as a vessel when engaged in
fishing with drift-nets.
(e) If a vessel when fishing with a trawl, dredge or any
kind of drag net, becomes stationary in consequence of her
gear getting fast to a roc^k or other obstruction, she shall
show the light and make the fog-signal for a vessel at anchor.
(f ) Fishing vessels may at any time use a flare-up in ad-
dition to the lights which they are by this article required
to carry and show. All flare-up lights exhibited by a vessel
when trawling, dredging, or fishing with any kind of drag-
net shall be shown at the after-part of the vessel, excepting
that if the vessel is hanging by the stern to her trawl,
dredge, or drag-net they shall be exhibited from the bow.
(g) Every fishing-vessel when at anchor between sunset
and sunrise shall exhibit a white light, visible all round the
horizon at a distance of at least one mile.
(h) In a fog a drift-net vessel attached to her nets, and
a vessel when trawling, dredging, or fishing with any kind
of drag-net, and a vessel employed in line-fishing with her
lines out, shall, at intervals of not more than two minutes,
make a blast with her fog-horn and ring her bell alter-
nately.
Art. 10. LigflitK loi- a,n Ovoi'taken Ves-
sel. A vessel which is being overtaken by another shall
show from her stern to such last-mentioned vessel a white
light or a fiare-up light.
The white light required to be shown by this article may
be fixed and carried in a lantern, but in such case the lan-
tern shall be so constructed, fitted, and screened that it
shall throw an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of
twelve points of the compass, namely, for six points from
right aft on each side of the vessel, so as to be visible at a
distance of at least one mile. Such light shall be carried as
nearly as practicable on the same level as the side-lights.
Art. 11. .A^iichoi* T^iprlits. A vessel under one
hundred and fifty feet in length, when at anchor, shall
carry forward, where it can be best seen, but at a height
not exceeding twenty feet above the hull, a white lantern
so constructed as to show a clear, uniform, and unbroken
light visible all around the horizon at a distance of at least
one mile.
A vessel of one hundred and fifty feet or upwards in
length, when at anchor, shall carry in the forward part of
the vessel, at a height of not less than twenty and not ex-
ceeding forty feet above the hull, one such light, and at or
1^
PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA. 279
near the st^ern of the vessel, and at such a height that it
shall be not less than fifteen feet lower than the forward
light, another such light.
The length of a vessel shall be deemed to be the length
appearing in her certificate of registry.
A vessel aground in or near a fair-way shall carry the
above light or lights and the two red lights prescribed by
article four (a).
Art. 12. Special Sigrka^lH. Every vessel, may,
if necessary in order to attract attention, in addition to the
lights which she is by these rules required to carry, show a
flare-up light or use any detonating signal that can not be
mistaken for a distress signal.
Art. 13. Naval Lig-lits and. Xl/ecog-nitloii
Sig'nals. Nothing in these rules shall interfere with
the operation of any special rules made by the Government
of any nation with respect to additional station and signal-
lights for two or more ships of war or for vessels sailing
under convoy, or with the exhibition of recognition signals
adopted by ship owners, which have been authorized by
their respective Governments and duly registered and pub-
lished.
Art. 14. Steam-Vessel xmcler Sail \>y
T>ay« A steam-vessel proceeding under sail only but
having her funnel up, shall carry in day-time, forward,
where it can best be seen, one black ball or shape two feet
in diameter.
SOUND SIGNALS FOR FOG, AND SO FORTH.
Art. 15, Preliminary. All signals prescribed by
this article for vessels under way shall be given :
First. By ** steam vessels" on the whistle or siren.
Second. By ''sailing vessels" and "vessels towed "on
the fog horn.
The words ''prolonged blast" used in this article shall
mean a blast of from four to six seconds duration.
A steam-vessel shall be provided with an efficient whistle
or siren, sounded by steam or by some substitute for steam,
so placed that the sound may not be intercepted by any ob-
struction, and with an efficient fog horn, to be sounded by
mechanical means, and also with an efficient bell. (In all
cases where the rules require a bell to be used a drum may
be substituted on board Turkish vessels, or a gong where
such articles are used on board small sea-going vessels. ) A
sailing vessel of twenty tons gross tonnage or upward shall
be provided with a similar fog horn and bell.
In fog, mist, falling snow, or heavy rainstorms, whether
by day or night, the signals described in this article shall
be used as follows, namely :
1
280 PRBVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
(a) Steaixi-^'ewHel undei? AVay* A steam
vessel having way upon her shall sound, at intervals of not
more than two minutes, a prolonged blast.
(b) A steam vessel under way, but stopped, and having
no way upon her, shall sound, at intervals of not more than
two minutes, two prolonged blasts, with an interval of
about one second between.
(c) Sail-VetsMel vxndex* TV^ay. A sailing
vessel under way shall sound, at intervals of not more than
one minute, when on the starboard tack, one blast; when
on the port tack, two blasts in succession, and when with
the wind abaft the beam, three blasts in succession.
(d) A'^ewwelw at .A^nclioi^. A vessel when at
anchor shall, at intervals of not more than one minute, ring
the bell rapidly for about five seconds.
(e) VeHKels nrc»vingr oi* Towed stnd
>"ewwelH XTxial>le to iVIanenvei*. A vessel
when towing, a vessel employed in laying or in picking up
a telegraph cable, and a vessel under way, which is unable
to get out of the way of an approaching vessel through be-
ing not under command, or unable to maneuver as required
by the rules, shall, instead of the signals prescribed in sub-
divisions (a) and (c) of this article, at intervals of not more
than two minutes, sound three blasts in succession, namely :
One prolonged blast followed by two short blasts. A vessel
towed may give this signal and she shall not givp any
othe.
Small SailinpT-VewwelH and Boats.
Sailing vessels and boats of less than twenty tons gross
tonnage shall not be obliged to give the above-mentioned
signals, but if they do not they shall make some ofiter
efficient sound signal at intervals of not more than one
minute.
Art. 1G. Speed in Fopf. Every vessel shall, in a
fog, mist, falling snow, or heavy rain-storms, go at a mod-
erate speed, having careful regard to the existing circum-
stances and conditions.
A steam-vessel hearing, apparently forward of her beam.
the fog-signal of a vessel, the position of which is not ascer-
tained, shall, so far as the circumstances of the case admit,
stop her engines, and then navigate with caution until dan-
ger of collision is over.
STEERING AND SAILING RULES.
P8.islc oT Collinion. can, when .circumstances
permit, be ascertained by carefully watching the compass
Ixviring of an approa(*hing vessel. If the bearing does not
appreciably change, such risk sliould be deemed to exist.
Art. 17. Sailingr-A'ewwels. When two sailing
PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA. 281
vessels are approaching one another, so as to involve risk
of collision, one of them shall keep out of the way of the
other as follows, namely :
(a) A vessel which is running free shall keep out of the
way of a vessel which is close-hauled.
(b) A vessel which is close-hauled on the port tack shall
keep out of the way of a vessel which is close-hauled on the
starboard tack.
(c) When both are running free, with the wind on differ-
ent sides, the vessel which has the wind on the port side
shall keep out of the way of the other.
(d) WTien both are running free, with the wind (m the
same side, the vessel which is to the windward shall keep
out of the way of the vessel which is to leeward.
(e) A vessel which has the wind aft shall keep out of
the way of the other vessel.
Art. 18. Steam-A"eKHel»*«« When two steam ves-
sels are meeting end on. or nearly end on, so as to evolve
risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard, so
that each may pass on the port side of the other.
This article only applies to cases where vessels are meet-
ing end on or nearly end on, in such a manner as to involve
risk of collision, and does not apply to two vessels which
must, if both keep on their respective courses, pass clear of
each other.
The only cases to which it does apply are when each
of the two vessels is end on or nearly end on, to the other ;
in other words, to cases in which, bv day. each vessel sees
the masts of the other in a line or nearly in line with her
own; and by night to cases in which each vessel is in such
a position as to see both the side lights of the other.
It does not apply by day to cases in which a vessel sees
another ahead crossing her own course; or by night, to
cases where the red light of one vessel is opposed to the red
light of the other, or where the green light of one vessel is
opposed to the green light of the other, or where a red light
without a green light, or a green light without a red light,
is seen ahead, or where both green and red lights are seen
anywhere but ahead.
Art. 10. TA'Vo Steain A^e^KKel^s C>i'c>!-«Kiii<r-
When two steam- vessels are crossing, so as to involvi' risk
of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own
starboard side shall keep out of the way of the other.
Art. 20. When a steam-vessel and a sailing-vessel are
proceeding in such directions as to involve risk of collision,
the steam-vessel shall keep out of the way of the sailing-
vessel.
Art. 21. Coixvsse Mn<l Si>eecl. Where, by any
of these rules, one of the two vessels is to keep out of the
way the other shall keep her course and speed.
282 PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
Note, When, in consequence of thick weather or other
causes, such vessel finds herself so close that collision can
not be avoided by the action of the giving-way vessel alone,
she also shall take such action as will best aid to avert col-
lision. (See articles twenty-seven and twenty -nine.)
Art. 22. Every vessel which is directed by these rules to
keep out of the way of another vessel shall, if the circum-
stances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other.
Art. 2;{. Every steam-vessel which is directed by these
rules to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, on ap-
proaching her, if necessary, slacken her speed or stop or
reverse.
Art. 24. Overtalting-^^eHwelis. Notwithstand-
ing anything contained in these rules every vessel, over-
taking any other, shall keep out of the way of the over-
taken vessel.
Every vessel coming up with another vessel from any
direction more than two points al)aft her beam, that is, in
such a position, with reference to the vessel which she is
overtaking that at night she would be unable to see either
of that vessel's side-lights, shall be deemed to be an over-
taking vessel ; and no subsequent alteration of the bearing
between the two vessels shall make the overtaking vessel
a crossing vessel within the meaning of these rules, or re-
lieve her of the duty of keeping clear of the overtaken ves-
sel until she is finally past and clear.
As by day the overtaking vessel can not always know
with certainty whether she is forward of or abaft this di-
rection from the other vessel she should, if in doubt, assume
that she is an overtaking vessel and keep out of the way.
Art. 25. IVai'i*<>AV Cliaiiiielw. In narrow chan-
nels every steam-vessel shall, when it is safe and practica-
ble, keep to that side of the fair-way or mid-channel which
lies on the starboard side of such vessel.
Art. 20. PMorhtw of AVa^' orFiwhirig- A^es-
>«els« Sailing-vessels under way shall keep out of the
way of sailing-vessels or boats fishing with nets, or lines,
or trawls. This rule shall not give to any vessel or boat
engaged in fishing the right of obstructing a fair- way used
by vessels other than fishing-vessels or boats.
Art. 27. Ciren.ei*al Pi-vicleiitial !R.iile. In
obeying and construing these rules due regard shall be had
to all dangers of navigation and collision, and to any spe-
cial circumstances which may render a departure from the
above rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger.
Art. 28. Soixnd-SigrialH for Vessels in
Sigrlit of One ^^.iiotlier. The words *' short
blast " used in this article shall mean a blast of about one
second's duration.
When vessels are in sight of one another, a steam-vessel
PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA. 283
under way, in taking any course authorized or requirea by
these rules, shall indicate that course by the following sig-
nals on her whistle or siren, namely :
One short blast to mean, "" I am directing my course to
starboard."
Two short blasts to mean, '* I am directing my course to
port."
Three short blasts to mean, **My engines are going at
full speed astern. "
Art. 29. I^recavitions. Nothing in these rules
shall exonerate any vessel or the owner or master or crew
thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to carry
lights or signals, or of any neglect to keep a proper lookout,
or of the neglect of any precaution which may be requirecl
by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special cir-
cumstances of the case.
Art. 30. Reservation ot" K.ulew Foi* Tlar-
l>or^« and Inland Navig'ation. Nothing in
these rules shall interfere with the operation of a special
rule, duly made by h>cal authority, relative to the naviga-
tion of any harbor, river, or inland waters.
Art. 31. T>iHtT*eK!Si; Sig-nalK* When a vessel is
in distress and requires assistance from other vessels or
from the shore the following shall be the signals to be used
or displayed by her, either together or separately, namely :
In the dniitime — First. A gun or other explosive signal
fired at intervals of about a minute.
Second. The international code signal of distress indi-
cated by N. C.
Third. The distance signal, consisting of a square flag,
having either above or below it a ball or anything resem-
bling a ball.
Fourth. A continuous sounding with any fog-signal ap-
paratus.
At night — First. A gun or other explosive signal at in-
tervals of about a minute.
Second. Flames on the vessel as from a burning tar
barrel, oil barrel, and so forth.
Third. Rockets or shells throwing stars of any color or
description, fired one at a time, at short intervals.
Fourth. A continuous sounding with any fog-signal ap-
paratus.
284: YfiSSELS' LIGHTS, ETC.
BUOYS.
ON THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES.
In ^ a^proSiChing the channel, &c., frma seaward, red
buoys with even numbers will be found on the starboard
side of the channel, and must be left on the starboard hand
in passing in.
In approaching the channel, &c., from seaward, black
buoys with odd numbers will be found on the port side of
the channel, and must be left on the port hand in passings
in.
Buoys painted with red and black horizontal stripes will
be found on obstructions with channel ways on either side
of them, and may be left on either hand in passing in.
Buoys painted with white and black perpendicular stripes
will be found in mid-channel, and must be passed close-to
to ^void danger.
All other aistin^uishins' marks to buoys will be in addi-
tion to the foregoing, and may be employed to mark par-
ticular spots.
Buoys to mark abrupt turning points in channels, or
obstructions requiring a specific and prominent mark, may-
be fitted with staves surmounted by balls, cages, triangles,
and other distinctive marks. Yellow buoys, without num-
bers, are used to mark any danger at a quarantine station.
The largest description of buoys (*' mammoth" or special
buoys) are to mark the approaches to channels over sea-
ward bars and isolated shoals, rocks, or other obstructions
to navigation which lie at considerable distances from the
coast.
First and second class buoys are to mark the approaches
to, the obstructions in, and to point out and mark tne limits
of channels leading to the principal harbors along the coast,
and also to mark the channels and obstructions adjacent to
the coast and those in the large bays and sounds.
Second and third class buoys are to mark the approaches
to and the channels and obstructions of the lesser narbors,
bays, &c.
Nun or can buoys liable to be damaged or swept away
by floating ice are removed on the approach of freezing
weather, and spar buoys put in their places. In the spring
the larger buoys are replaced.
Small spar-buoys are to mark channels and obstructions
in shoal-water navigation.
Different channels in the same bay, sound, river, or
harbor are marked, as far as practicable, by diflferent
descriptions of buoys. Principal channels are marked by
nun-buoys, secondary channels by can-buoys, arid minor
channels by spar-buoys. When there is but one channel.
vessels' lights, etc. 285
nun-buoys, properly colored, and numbered, are placed on
the starboard side, and can-buoys on the port side of it.
Buoys are placed in the best positions to mark obstruc-
tions, or to define channels, and are made to float as high,
and as nearly upright, as possible, during the strongest
winds and tides. White numbers, as large as the class of
the buoy will admit, are painted on four sides of red and
black buoys, and the other distinguishing marks made to
show as prominently as possible.
Canada is buoyed on the same system as the United
States.
White buoys are used to mark special points but have no
reference to dangers to navigation.
Buoys indicate the set of the tide by the trdf/ they natch,
that is, the direction in which they are inclined.
CHAPTER XX.
GETTING UNDER WAY AND ANCHORING UNDER SAIL.
I{.eiiiax*kK on CaHting-. When there is plenty
of sea-room, and the wind is fair, it is best to cast under
the head-sails and to make sail when before the wind.
In casting with the square sails set, ships invariably
gather stemway the moment the anchor breaks ground,
^n this account, and under these circumstances, it is con-
sidered a ffood general rule (in the case of a foul wind)
to cast with the head towards the nearest of the neigh-
boring dangers, to make a stern board while the anchor
is being catted, then to fill and make sail enough to insure
going about in stays when requisite.
When there is not room to admit of going much astern,
set the main-sail before starting the ancnor, if possible, or
as soon after as it will take, and have a purchase all ready
to clap on the cable the moment that the anchor promises
to give a heavy heave ; otherwise the ship may go tripping
it astern into shoaler water, and certainly will oe unman-
ageable until it is at the bows.
As a general rule, and one not to be neglected, when
weighing one anchor have the other ready lor letting go,
and as soon as an anchor is weighed get it ready for letting
go at once.
Before getting under way, shift the helm over two or
three times, to insure the rendering of the wheel ropes, and
that the tiUer is clear in its sweep.
When you have room, and are pitching, it will be best to
get the anchor up before making sail. By so doing you will
ease the chain,. capstan, &c.
When about to get under way (the ship being tide rode
and the wind aft), the comparative strength of wind 'and
tide must be well considered before coming to the decisiou
to make sail and weigh, or to weigh first and to make scul
afterwards. For it does not look seamanlike to see^ a ship
under canvas forging ahead over her anchor, tearing the
copper off her bottom, and sheering unmanageably about
before breaking ground ; and it is equally' bad management
when the anchor is hove up and the ship is drifted oy the
tide without steerage wav.
If the wind were light, it would be necessary to make
286
Plato 106
/
/
/nrtgn ■ ■ ■ ?* \
GETTING UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL 287
nearly all sail before breaking ground ; or if moderate,
merely to loose them. If it were blowing strong, the ship
might stem the tide without any sail ; out in this latter
case it would be well to have a head-sail set, so as to pre-
vent the possibility of breaking the sheer while stowing the
anchor.
TO GET UNDER WAY AND STAND OUT ON A WIND.
(Case 1, Plate 106.)
Having the vessel in readiness for sea. and unmoored,
prepare to get under way as under ordinary circumstances,
witn the wind fair for standing out of the harbor.
Big the capstan and fish-boom, reeve the cat and fish
purchases, ship the gratings, swifter the bars, call :
Up anchor !
If there are two capstans, the one on the g^n-deck is
Inanned by the port watch. If fitted with a steam capstan,
see steam turned on, and a man stationed to run it. The
principal stations are :
Forecastlemen to clean off chain with hose, stand bv
with cat, fish, &c.
Mastmen see gear ready for making sail.
Quartermaster and men stationed at the wheel go to
their stations ; also, leadsmen in both chains or quarter
boats.
Gunner's gang tend chain around capstan, fore and
main topmen port watch be ready to bitt or unbitt, tend
stoppers, or at controllers, &c. Master-at-arms and servants
or berth-deck cooks tend berth-deck compressors ; tierers in
the chain locker. Man the bars. Heave around ! and heave
in the cable to a short stay.
As soon as "brought to," the first lieutenant orders the
officer of the forecastle to inform him when the chain is in
to a certain scope, say fifteen fathoms chain in five fathoms
water, though it depends entirely upon the strength of the
wind and sea.* When in to the required scope, the officer of
the forecastle commands. Avast heaving! and reports to
the first lieutenant, who then directs the men to be sent up
(supposing it a frigate) to make sail.
The cable being in to a short stav, Heave and paul!
stopper the cable well, and unship the bars, on the spar
deck.
Stations for making sail ! Lay aloft sail loosers ! and
when the men are aloft and readv, Lay out and Loose !
Man the topsail sheets and halliards ! In the meantime the
forecastle men are loosing the head sails, and the afterguard
the spanker ; when ready, Stand by ! Let fall ! Sheet
* The old rale for a short stay was, that the cable should be on a line with
the foretopmaflt stay.
-5^^ GETTING UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL.
home! Lay in! Lay down from aloft ! The men all lay
down on deck, except a few hands in the tops to liirht up
and overhaul the rigeing ; at the same time, ease away the
topsail clewlines, and haul close home the topsail sheets
As soon as the men are clear of the yards,. Ifenrf the braces!
Haul taut ! Hoist away the topsails ! giving also the
cautionary order Light up the rigging aloft ! Hoist the
topsails to a taut leech, and Belay the topsail halliards »
or High enough the fore ! Well the mizzen ! Belay the main f
&c., &c. Sheet home and hoist the topgallant sails, and
then the royals, if the wind is light. Brace up the after
yards for the tack on which you wish to cast, and the head
vards abox to pay her off. Top up the spanker boom, and
bear it over on the side you wish to cast.
The following commands are commonly given, sail be-
mg made :
Man the port head brakes ! Starboard main, port cross*
jack braces ! —or, the reverse, as you wish to cast (after part
generally to after, forward part to head braces).
Let go and overhaul the lifts ! Clear away all the bow-
lines ! Tend the lee braces !
Haul taut !
Brace up !
Brace abox !
It will be observed that the booms are not triced up when
loosing to get under way.
The sails being set, Man the bars! ship and swifter
them ; Heave abound ! at the same time giving her a sheer
with the helm. The officer of the forecastle reports when
the cable is ''up and down,"' and also when the anchor is
a weigh! at the former report, Man the rib and flying-jib
halliards ! The fore topsail pays her head off, ana as soon
as the head sails will tate the right way, Let go the down-
hauls, hoist away ! Put the helm a-lee for stemboard, at
the same time, heave the anchor up to the bows ; and as soon
as it is high enough, Ava^t heaving ! Paul the capstan I
stopper the cable ; cat and fish the anchor. When sne has
fallen off sufficiently, Right the helm ! Brace around the
liead yards, and set the spanker. Trim the yards and stand
out to sea, making sail as required.
As soon as the anchor is catted and fished, the cable is
bitted and cleared for running. Having passed the bar-
buoy, and seeing that all the sails are properly set, the
anchors and boats secured, and no further necessity for all
hands to be on deck, the first lieutenant reports the fact to
the captain, who directs him to **pipe down." On the
boatswain piping down, the officers leave their stations and
the lieutenant of the watch takes the trumpet, receiving the
course from the pilot or navigator.
In some cases, though rarely, the captain gets the ship
GETTING UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL. 289
under way. When he does not. the first lieutenant does
it, though the captain is still responsible for the manner in
which it is done.
In getting under way in a spacious harbor, where you
have sufficient room, if circumstances will admit of it, it is
advisable, particularly if blowing fresh, to keep the f oretop-
sail to the mast until the anchor is catted and fished : to do
w^hich set the spanker as soon as, or before, she oreaks
^oimd, and keep the head sails down ; or flow the jib-
sheet.
Should it blow sufficiently fresh, and present appear-
ances of heavy weather outside, it is advisable to reei the
topsails while setting them.
When getting under way to stand off on a wind, the
spanker may be set, and very often is, when sail is made ;
guying the boom on the lee quarter, or the side to which
you cast, as this catches the vessel snould she be inclined
to fall off too much.
To Cret uncler* ^^^^y fi*oiix F'ixecl IMooi--
ingrs. Proceed as in the above, bracing the yards as you
wish to cast, then slip the moorings and trim the yards to
the course, or use a spring from the moorings if circum-
stances require, taking both ends of the spring inboard that
you may let go one end, unreeve and haul it on board.
RIDING HEAD TO WIND,
WITH A BOCK OR SHOAL ASTERN, AND CLOSE ABOARD — ^TO GET
UNDER WAY AND MAKE SAIL, BY THE WIND, ON THE STAR-
BOARD TACK. (Case 4.)
The object now is to get the vessel under way without
losing anythin|^, either in drift after the anchor is aweigh,
or in falline on after casting.
Having hove in to a safe scope, run out a hawser ahead,
^th a kedge, from the starboard bow ; and having let it
go, haul the nawser well taut ; masthead the topsail and
topgallant yards, having the sails loosed, and only confined
to the yards by the quarter gaskets ; brace the yards sharp
up by the port braces, fore and aft ; loose the courses, jib
and spanker, and have them ready for setting ; the star-
board jib-sheet aft, and the fore and main tacks and sheets
stretched along the deck.
Man the bars and heave around briskly, until the anchor
is up, taking in at the same time the slack of the hawser ;
cat and fish the anchor ; and have it ready for letting go as
soon as possible.
Man the hawser and warp the vessel ahead, sheering her
with the starboard helm. Have the topsail sheets well
manned, and as soon as the kedge is short apeak, or comes
290 (iETTINd UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL.
home, sheet home the topsails, run up the jib, haul out the
spanker, with the boom on the port quarter; and as soon as
the jib takes, with the wind on the starboard bow, run the
kedge up to the bows.
As she falls off, and the moment the topsails take, draw
the jib, set the courses and topgallant sails, and right the
helm. Should the kedge come home before it is apeak,
make sail immediately, hauling in the hawser at the same
time.
If she is falling off rapidly when the topsails take, set
the spanker and mainsail alone, easing off the jib-sheet ;
and as she comes to, board the fore tack, haul aft the jib-
sheet, and meet her with the helm.
If, when the kedge is aweigh, she should fall off to star-
board, and bring the wind on the port bow, let go the
anchor and bring her up. By this process you have warped
considerably ahead or the anchorage, and by counter
bracing the head yards you may get under way, as under
ordinary circumstances, or you may run out the kedge
again, and make a second trial.
If, while warping ahead, the kedge comes home, or the
hawser part^, proceed at once to make sail or let go the
anchor.
GETTING UNDER WAY IN A TIDEWAY.
In the foregoing examples, we have had nothing to con-
sider, in getting under way, but the effect of the sails and helm
on the vessel : but in a tideway, we have also the force of the
current to guard against, or profit by, during the operation.
The principles involved are the same in both cases, bein^
careful to keep in mind that the tide, running past the ves-
sel, will act on the rudder in the same manner as if the
vessel were going ahead at that rate of speed ; and to allow
for the drift of the vessel after the anchor breaks ground.
Lying at anchor in a tideway, a vessel will ride to the wind.
or tide, which ever is the stronger.
I>etlnitioii of Ticlew. Flood tide, is the in-
coming tide.
Ebb tide, is the outgoing tide.
A windward fide, is when the wind and tide are con-
trary.
A leeward tide^ is when the wind and the tide are
together.
A windward ebb, is when the tide is setting out, and the
wind blowing in.
.4 windward flood, is when the tide is setting in, and the
wind blowing out.
A leeward ebb, is when the tide and wind are both set-
ting out.
GETTING UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL. 201
A leeward flood, is when the wind and tide are both set-
ting in.
A spring tide is the highest tide, and occurs just su^-
sequent to the fttll and change of the moon.
A neap tide is the lowest tide, occurring when the moou
is near the first and third quarters.
TO BACK ASTERN. (Case 7, Plate 109.)
If you have not room to cast, either to port or starboard,
from your anchorage— suppose a vessel on each quarter —
weigh the anchor, and drift down between the vessels be-
fore you cast, thus :
Heave short ; set the topsails and spanker ; brace all the
yards about halfway up by the port braces ; then heave in
on the cable, and as soon as the anchor is aweigh, put the
helm to port ; the tide acting against the starboard side of
the rudder, casts the stern to port ; the sails being aback,
she will soon gather stemboard, when the effect of the tide
upon the rudder will be lost ; but the resistance by stern-
board on the port side of the rudder and the effect of the
spanker will counteract the tendency of the fore topsail to
pay her off. In this manner let her drift down with the
tide, between the two vessels. Shoidd she pay off too much
you may bear the spanker boom well over to windward,
and brace the niizzen topsail sharp up. Should she, in
stemboard, be m danger of fouling the one vessel, she will
increase the distance from the other, when you may brail
up the spanker, shiver the after yards, hoist tne jib, and let
her go around before the wind, righting the helm as she
gathers headway.
In like manner a vessel may be backed astern where
there is no tide.
But this manoeuvre should not be attempted except with
a smart working^ ship, as a sluggish vessel or one that takes
a rank sheer, will be likely to foul one of the two dangers
before any change in the disposition of canvas will affect
her movements. Therefore, with an ordinary cruising
vessel, getting imder way under sail, proceed as follows :
Heave short ; set the topsails, reeled if necessary, and
keep the yards sauare ; the helm amidships. Heave in
again, ana when sne breaks ground and starts astern, paul
the capstan and stopper the cable. You may thus chib
down, and when clear of danger heave up briskly, wear and
make sail as requisite.
H.em.Cii*ks on "Weigliiiigr* If a J^hip has a
leading wind and is anchored in a narrow channel, or in
the midst of a number of a vessels, she should be got under
way before the tveather tide is done, as it would be ex-
tremely difficult to cast her upon the lee tide.
^21)2 GETTINti UNDER WAY UNDER SAIL.
TTlie Kleclgr*^ a^nd Tog-gle. When using a
spring the weighing of the kedge may be much facili-
tated by bending the hawser to the crown of the anchor ^ and
securing it to tne ring by means of a squilgee toggle. If
the anchor has been carried out by a boat let her hang on to
the buov, and at a signal from the ship pull out the toggle,
when tne kedge mav be run up to the quarter, and when
the ship finds room sne will heave to and pick up the boat.
ANCHORING.
[•al Heiiiai*kK on
Ships, on getting within signal distance of the senior officer,
are required to show their number, and on this being recog-
nized, that officer gives his number in return.
Local signals, or temporary additions to the si^al books,
general orders, and copies of the squadron routine, should
be procured without delay after joining company.
Shortening all sail together, in coming to anchor, how-
ever well done aloft, cannot but crowcT the decks at a
time when you want silence and the power of carrying out
a sudden alteration in your plans. Except when you want
to ** charge " into a station with great way, or catch breezes
over the land with your lofty canvas, the seamanlike way
to come to is under topsails, after the courses and upper
sails have been taken in and the upper yards squared. Y ou
can then feel your way with the to}^sails, deaden it with a
check of the braces, freshen it with a small addition of can-
vas, or stop it by heaving aback.
When about to shorten sail, get the marks on the lee
lower lifts down ; clew up ; man all the braces, and lower
and square all together.
In coming in, while blowing hard, get as much sail
reefed and furled as you can spare with prudence, and the
cables double-bitted. If running, round to before letting go,
and have hands by the second anchor ready for letting go.
Always double-bitt before anchoring in deep water, as at
Madeira, and similar anchorages.
Should you use a buoy, do not part with it until veering
obliges you to do so.
The rolling motion may be checked, when at anchor,
provided there be not too much wind, by making sail ana
oracing by. This is no unimportant object, especially in
liandling boats.
No one who could help it would moor in a roadstead. At
single anchor a ship is ready for sea, and her remaining
anchors are disposable for a gale from any quarter.
The common rule for giving the proper scope to ride by,
in moderate weather, is six times the depth of water.
If possible, in coming to, the vessel should be given a
AN'CHORING. 293
sheer with the helm so that the anchor let go will be the
weather one to insure the ship swinging away from it.
This should be done whether under sail or steam.
In coming to an anchor, it is desirable to run the cable
out straight, clear of the anchor, after letting^ go. To do
this we must either wait for stemway before letting go, or
else let go while there is heawiway on, and pay out roundly.
For tie former there must be wind enough^(if there is no
tide) to force the ship astern. In the latter, there is the
chance of damaging the copper and snapping the chain,
and thus of running on board a vessel which we had
reckoned on clearing. It is evidently an unnecessary risk
in strong breezes, and therefore only adopted in light ones,
where tne risk is small. The mizzen topsail is often set
aback to g[ive the ship stemboard.
The object in thus laying out the cable is, that not only
will the anchor be clear, but that (except in strong breezes
and tides) the ship will ride far from her anchor by the
mere weight of the chain, where it rises from the bottom.
PREPARATIONS FOR ENTERING PORT.
It will be assumed that the ship has had a long and
boisterous passage, and that she is approaching her port
of destination under favorable circumstances, pleasant
weather, and with a reasonable prospect of making a speedy
run in.
On striking soundings, bend chains and get the anchors
oflf the bows. A day or two before making the port, send
down any extra rigging that may be aloft, scrape and
grease spars, get the upper masts in line, and see that
all the sauare marks are on the lifts and braces. Scrub
paint- work inside and out, and if found necessary give the
ship a light coat of paint outside. Touc^h up all chafes on
the spars aloft. The morning before going in. holystont'
decks, and scrub boats, spars, and oars. Sling clean ham-
mocks the evening before.
As you near the port, send down all chafing gear, lower
the boat davits and square the boats, having them all ready
for lowering, have all the half ports squared, and see that
no lines are towing overboard. Have sentry boards placed,
and sentries ready for posting, the ac^commodation ladder
scrubbed and ready for shipping. All sheets snug home,
and sails up taut; clew-jiggers hooked, if used. If antici-
pating a long stay in port, the studding-sails may be unbent,
the gear unrove, tallied, and stowed away. If intending to
moor inunediately after anchoring, rig the capstan for th"
chain of the anchor first let go. unless the bars will be \u
the way. The officers and crew should be dressed in the
*>4 AX' H-»FIV",.
urr.iorrn pr'-^Tif^*-d Ky th^ r-apiain, E^»-r7 prv-paration
*»fjOi,'J Fj^ rna^ifr for firin;^ a saiut*-, and tin: fla^ to be Ui^t^
in r^-ix/iiu-^^
S^^m^imfrs the toj»saiI <sheets and fore and mam tacks and
«hf?*fts ar*- sin^l*-d to facilitate shortening sail.
If cornini^ in under steam alune, have all the sails neatly
furl^rd, yardh J^^^uare^i, and rijrtring hauled taut.
On approaehinj^ a p^^irt at any tune, day or night, have the
colors h^'t. If It has been too dark to make out the colors
Uf^ffi th*- *»lj:f/s ♦'nt^-rinK iH»rt. th^y are to be hoisted at day-
bn-ak th** next morning, and hauled down a few minutes
iM'f'ire th*' time for ••colors."
I'fKin nearing the anchorage, the officer of the deck, when
H/i orden-d. direr-t*; the boatswain to call '•Brixg ship to
AVf'HOR I" Tlie first lieutenant then takes the tnunpet. and
offirer^ and crew refiair to their stations. The officers, fol-
lowing the executive, repair in the order of rank to the fore-
cjtKtle, main d^-ck. starlxmrdand port g^angwaysandmizzen
mast. The officer assigned to this duty, will see that both
anchors are ready for letting go, that the chains are bitted
and clear for nmning. compressors thrown back, with men
U> man the falls, hfK>k-ropes, stopi>ers, &:c., at hand.
The junior officers are distributed about the ship to the
best advantage.
The principal stations of the crew are at the wheel, lead,
anchors, conn, signals, clew-jiggers and buntlines, down-
hauls and brails, and weather braces. Hands by tacks and
slicets, halliards, outhauls, bowlines, lee braces, and on the
low(?r yards to overhaul the topsail sheets. Also hands by
the compressors, and hook-rope on the main deck.
Only those men stationed aloft will go there ; all others
must keep below the rail, out of the chains and clear of the
ports. Care should be taken that the general appearance of
the ship is neat and seamanlike.
For detail of duties of the men stationed at the anchors
at the order Let go ! see Chapter XIV.
If a senior officer's ship is lying in the port, observe the
disposition made of his light spars, and, if need be, make
the usual signals and all preparations for sending down
light yards and masts, should his be on deck. Sway at the
onler Lay down from aloft ! after furling sail, but lower
carefully while men are in the rigging.
A v(\sHol entering port with Tight yards in the rigging
should make similar preparations for crossing them on
anchoring if the senior officer has his light yards across.
As soon as the sails are furled, lay down all but the
square yard men, send a boat ahead, square yards haul taut
and stop in rigging, and pipe down.
Get the lower booms out, rigged for port, and lower boats
according to circumstances. When coming in under steam
ANCHORING. 295
alone, the former are generally rigged out as the anchor is
let go. At the same time, circumstances permitting, run up
the jack if the topgallant yards are across, and fire the first
gun of the salute.
The catamaran should be ready, so that the copper may
be scrubbed and oiled the morning after coming to.
Immediately after anchoring, the navigator get's bearings
of the prominent objects in sight, that the ship's position
may be plotted on the chart. These bearings must be en-
tered in the loe.
On pipine down, the first lieutenant gives up the deck to
the officer of the watch.
HAVING A LEADING WIND,
TO RUN IN AND ANCHOR. (NO TIDE.)
Bring ship to anchor! See that all the officers and
crew are on deck and at their stations. Top-gallant and
ROYAL YARDMEN IN THE TOPS ! Stand by to take in all the
studding-sails and royals ! After the men are stationed, take
them in, giving the command. Haul taut ! In studding-
sails AND ROYALS I Or give the command for the stun'
sails in detail. Rig in and get alongside the studding-sail
booms, make up and stow away the sails, trice up the gear,
take the burtons off the topsail yard, and jiggers off the top-
gallant lifts, if used.
Man the top-gallant clewlines! Fore clew-garnets and
huntlines! ancl when ready, Haul taut I In top-gallant
SAILS, UP FORESAIL !
Furl the top-gallant sails and royals ! The moment
this command is given, the light-yard men should lay aloft
from the top, and after furling the sails snugly, lay down
on deck.
Square the lower yards by the lifts, and let the captains
of the tops square the top-gallant and royal yards.
Man the topsail clew-jiggers and bnntlines ; jib down-
haul! spanker outhaul ! At this command hands lay out on
lower yards to overhaul topsail sheets. Have hands sta-
tioned by the topsail sheets and halliards, jib halliards and
spanker brails, and to attend the braces. Bear the spanker
boom over on the quarter.
When near the anchorage, put the helm to starboard or
port, as the case may be, having allowed for head -reach in
l)ringing her to the wind. Then give the command, Haul
taut! Let go the topsail sheets! Clew up! Haul down
THE JIB ! Haul out the spanker ! As soon as the sails
shake, having the wind abeam. Settle away the topsail
halliards ! Square away ! Take in the slack of the braces
as the yards come down, keeping them square. The bunt-
296 ANCHORING.
lines are hauled up above the yard, the clews hauled for-
ward by the clew-jiggers.
She comes to the wind by the effect of the helm and
spanker, and as soon as she loses entirely her headway givt-
the commands. Stand clear of the starboard (or port) chain .'
Let go the starboard (or port) anchor ! Spanker braiLs.'
and as soon as she swings to the anchor. Brail up the
SPANKER !
Direct the officer of the forecastle as to the scope to be
given, he reporting the order carried out when the chain is
secured: furl sails, square yards, haul taut rigging, and
pipe down.
If coming in before the wind, or with the wind well aft.
the head sails may be down, or hauled down before short-
ening sail.
If the crew has been well drilled, all the studding-sails,
top-gallant sails, rovals, and foresail may be taken in to-
gether ; and this, when well done, has a fine eflfect.
The best command to give on such occasions, where every-
thing is started together, is :
Haul taut I Shorten sail !
This should be done in time sufficient to admit of getting
the sails, booms, and gear out of the way before taking in
the topsails.
The top-gallant sails and royals should be furled at once,
when clewed up. To this end it is well to have the light-
vard men on tne jack and cross-trees ready to lay out the
moment the yards are down.
It is not advisable to attempt to reduce a cloud of canvas
at once, unless the crew and rigging are in such a state as
to insure success.
TO COME TO ''HEAD ON."
If there is not room to take the necessary sweep, in comings
to anchor with the wind aft, check-stoppers may be put on
the cable to deaden the headway. Having clewed up the
sails in good time, furl them, that you may approach the
anchorage with as little headway as possible. The anchor
being let go, the checks, breaking one after the other, serve
to stop her headway before the range is veered to. If no
cable IS ranged, have careful hands at the compressors.
TO STAND IN ON A WIND AND ANCHOR.
Coming to anchor with the yards braced up, you must
have the weather braces well manned, and nave hands
ready to square the lower lifts, before the topsails are clewed
up ; and the moment the order is given to clew up, let the
ANCHORING. 297
braces be hauled in, and the lower lifts hauled taut to the
square mark. Some officers square the yards by the braces
before they clew up the sails. This hastens to stop her
headway, and it is necessary in some cases, as, for instance,
in coming to in a crowded harbor, or where 70U have little
room. But it renders the operation of clewing up difficult,
from the sails being aback and binding against the rigging.
Others clew up the topsails, and then, manning all the
weather braces, command. Settle away the topsail hal-
liards! Square away ! When circumstances permit, this
is preferable.
As soon as the cable is taut and the anchor ahead, " veer
to " on the cable, giving it to her as she will take it.
Standing in on a bowline iinder all sail, the most approved
method is to shorten sail to topsails, jib, and spanker, and
to come to under that sail.
Everything being in readiness, give the conmiand —
Man the fore ana main clew garnets and buntlines I
Top-Gallant and royal clewlines, flying jib downhaul!
Aloji top-gallant and royal yard men I *
Having hands by the tacks, sheets, halliards, and lee
braces, and weather top-gallant and royal braces manned,
command, Haul taut !
Shorten sail !
The sails are clewed up, yards clewed down, and squared
in by the braces.
Furl the top-gallant sails and royals, stow the fly-
ing-jib.
Next command —
Man the topsail clew-jiggers and buntlines!
Jib dowhaul!
At this command the men stationed there lay out on
the lower yards to overhaul topsail sheets, and a few hands
are sent to the spanker sheet.
Stand by the starboard (or port) anchor!
When it is judged that the ship can be luffed up into her
berth, command the helm —
Hard down !
Haul taut !
Let go the jib halliards ! Haul down !
Clear atvay the topsail sheets ! Clew up !
The spanker sheet is now hauled over till the boom is
amidships; the jib is hauled down snug, and the topsails
clewed up. Then —
Man the weather braces ! Stand by the topsail halliards!
Settle atvay the topsail halliards! Square away !
At this command the topsail halliards are settled away
roundly, and the braces hauled in to the square marks.
The quartermaster in the chains, judging by his lead, will
* Thia presupposee the light-yard men have already been sent into the tops^
iJ98 ANCHORING.
report when headway ceases; as soon as the ship com-
mences going astern, Stand clear of the starboard chain!
Let go the starboard anchor 1 If a buoy is used, firsts
Stream the buoy!
When head to wind, put the wheel amidships and secure
it, and brail up the spanker.
Let her take the chain from the locker if she will, and do
not pay it down in a lump under the forefoot. If the wind
is so light that, even with the mizzen topsail set, she will
not take the chain, you must wait either for the tide or a
stronger breeze to send her astern.
The anchor being down —
Stations for furling sail !
Man the bunt-jiggers, have hands by the clew-jiggers and
buntlines, &c., and proceed to furl. Should it be found,
after clewing up, that the ship head reaches too much, and
is in danger of louling another vessel, sheet home and hoist
the mizzen topsail. Should this prove insufScient^ drop the
foresail.
IN EXPECTATION OF BEING FOULED
BY ANOTHER SHIP DRIFTING DOWN FROM AHEAD.
Send hands aloft to drop the foresail, screw down the
forward compressor, unshackle the cable, bend on a hawser,
and, as the vessel approaches, slip, and give her a wide
berth. A head sail hoisted, with the sheet to windward,
may assist in canting your vessel clear of the danger. In a
fresh breeze, stand by to veer instead of unshackling.
If collision is imavoidable, get the swinging boom along*
side, lower the quarter boat and lower deck ports, overhaul
lower lifts, and orace the yards up on the tack opposite to
the side the ship is on.
If a vessel gets athwart vour hawse in a strong tide,
probably the easiest wav to clear is to send a kedge astern,
set taut the hawser, and wait for the tide to turn. When it
does, you will swing by the stern, and the other vessel be
drifted clear of you.
For tending ship at single anchor, see Appendix K.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE DECK.-11AKING AND TAKING IN SAIL.
On fi^ettine clear of the harbor, the first lieutenant causss
everything about the decks to be secured for sea : the boat-
swain, upon receiving the order, secures the anchors, and,
if a long passage is anticipated, the chains are unbent and
the hawse-bucKlers put in. If the chains are not unbent
the hawse- pipes are closed bv means of Jackasses (canvas
bags stuffed with oakum). The chains after being cleaned
are paid below. Dry and stow away everything used in
getting under way.
If tne vessel be under sail alone, the anchors and chains
are kept ready for use imtil a good offing is made.
On piping down from getting under way the first lieu-
tenant turns the deck over to the officer having the watch,
who is at once to acquaint himself with the position of the
ship, her condition, and all orders remaining to be exe-
cuted.
Before losing sight of the land, the navigator takes the
departure, puts over the patent log and sets the course,
when the officer of the deck will commence heaving the
log and marking the log-book. The chafing^ gear will now
be put on, the boats topped up and secured, and the stud-
ding-sail gear will be rove, if not done before leaving port.
The Officer of* tfaie Deck* An outline of the
daily routine at sea will be found in the internal rules and
regulations of the ship, but a few minor details may be here
mentioned. Let it be supposed that an officer is called at
3:50 A.M. to keep the morning watch. Ten minutes is the
usual time allowed for him to reach the deck. Having
received ell the orders, information, &c., he will, on the
watch bein^ reported up, and the wheel and lookouts re-
lieved, "reheve the watch," and have the watch on deck
mustered. In the meanwhile he ** passes the course" to the
man at the wheel, looks at the compass if goin^ free or
under steam, or at the sails if "full and by," ana this he
should frequently repeat during the watch. After the
mustering of the watch it is well to make a rapid survey
of the deck, to see that the yards and sheets are properly
trimmed, weather lifts and weather braces taut ; lights
burning brightly, lookouts properly stationed, and to give
any cautionary orders to tne officer of the forecastle he
299
300 THE OFFICER OF THE DECK.
may deem expedient, such as to have the topgallant clew-
lines led along, and keep a bright lookout ahead.
Except when making such inspections, or when obliged
to satisfy himself personally of any fact, the oflScer of the
deck should make it a rule to stay at his proper station, on
the bridge or horse-block. He should observe this rule,
especially when giving orders, instead of rushing about, as
is too often the case, to assist in carrying out his own com-
mands.
The captain of each part of the ship should be supplied
with a list of his men. Petty officers mav generally be
relied upon to muster their own parts and to report ab-
sentees, if there are no junior officers available for this
duty.
The very great advantage of calling the watch ten or
fifteen minutes before eight bells, giving the men time to
prepare for their watch, and to be mustered before the time
for relieving, may be here reiterated. It would add to the
health and comfort of the crew, to the safety of the ship
when under sail, and relieve^ the mind of the officer of the
deck of the anxiety felt during that painful intern^gnum
when neither watch feels it incumbent to "man the main
clew-garnets and buntlines,'' let it look never so squally to
windward.
The habit cannot be too earnestly recommended to the
young watch officer of anticipating various emergencies
and casualties, such as a man fallmg overboard, parting
rigging, &c., &c., and determining what should be done in
eacn event, that when it does occur, the right order may
burst involuntarily from the lips, and the mind be fully pre-
pared for the necessary evolution.
The orders of the executive officer in reference to wash-
ing clothes or scrubbing decks, called "morning orders,"
and usually written in an order book, are put in execu-
tion immeaiately after mustering the watch, unless trim-
ming yards, or other essential duties, or want of light pre-
vent. If clothes are to be washed, the command is (?iven
to " lay up the rigging fore and aft" and " sweep dovm,'- and
the boatswain's mate is ordered to call the "watch scrub
and wash clothes." A certain time should be allowed for
washing — not over an hour — and the clothes should be
neatly stopped on the lines so as to lap, each piece, by an
inch or two, the white and blue separate, the former always
being above or on a different set oi lines, that they may not
be soiled by the dripping of the latter.
At sunrise the command is given, Lay in, deck lookouts!
Lay aloft the masthead lookout! The lights are taken in,
forward officers called, and the master-at-arms directed to
turn out and report up the idlers.
The mates of the decks get their orders from the officer
of the deck. If the main deck is to be washed, the second
THE OFFICER OF THE DECK. 301
part of the watch is sent below. But if under sail, an
officer should be cautious not to allow the watch to become
so much engaged, or the running rigging so encumbered,
that the safls may not be readily handled, or the yards
braced in anv sudden emergency.
At six bells the boatswain will be directed to ''call all
hands and pipe the hammocks up," after which get all the
sheets home and sails taut up.
If on a wind, proceed as loUows :
Get a jigger on the main tack, slacking the weather lift
and lee brace, and the sheet if necessary. Then haul taut
the lift and brace, haul aft the sheet. Now get jiggers
on the weather, then the lee topsail sheet, getting them
home alike; overhauling well the clew-lines and reef-
tackles, slacking the halliards and tending the topgallant
sheets. Then clap on to the topsail halliards, heaving off
the lee brace ana tending the weather one and the top-
fallant sheets. Get the topsail up to a taut leech, then haul
omethe topgallant sheets, pull up on the halliards — always
attending the braces and the sheets of the sail next above,
and then get the royal sheets close home and the sail up
taut. Proceed similarlv on the fore and mizzen, haul the
heads of the fore-and-aft sails chock out, and then the sheet
or foot out-haul aft.
See the head-sails hoisted with a taut luff, and trim aft
the sheets.
If free, with studding-sails set, get the lower studding-
sail halliards up, then trim the out-haul. With the other
studding-sails, get the tacks boom-ended, halliards chock
up and sheets trimmed, in the order named.
In trimming studding-sails, if the tack of the sail will
not reach the boom end when the halliards are up, the boom
hasprobably been rigged too far out.
The sails being trimmed, put the tops to rights, ham-
mock cloths and Doom cover smoothed over and stopped
down, bright-work cleaned, chains swept out, peajackets
put in the bags and stowed away, and rain clothes hung on
the jackstays between the launches.
An officer should never leave anything to be done by hip
relief which he should have performed himself.
At sunset the command is given, Get out the running
lights! Station deck lookouts! and Lay down from the
mast-head ! — the side lights are lighted and placed in posi-
tion, in the light-boxes. Send aloft the mast-head light if
under steam.
Half an hour before each meal the ship's cook makes his
report at the mast ; before breakfast and supper that "tea-
water is ready for serving out," and at 11:30 brings the
dinner for inspection. If nothing has occurred to interfere
with the regular meal hours he is ordered to serve out.
Everything affecting the health and comfort of the crew
302 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL.
should receive the earnest attention of the officers. There
are minor points of duty which no rules or regulations can
reach, and which must be left to the thoughtfulness and
good sense of the officers themselves. Thus a considerate
officer will anticipate a rain-squall, and ^et washed clothes
or scrubbed hammocks down in good time. He will not
commence an all-hands job fifteen minutes before twelve
o'clock, and send the men down to dinner at one bell. Boats
and working parties will be recalled in time for their meals ;
timely preparation will be made for rain that the men may
not be exposed to it unnecessarily, and a dry place reserved
for the watch below.
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL.
Young officers should make themselves familiar with
the lead of the running rigging, and where it belays, and on
first getting to sea, it is well to exercise the crew at man-
ning the ropes, that they may learn their lead and be
enabled to find them on the darKest night.
To Set a Foresail, give tne command —
Man the fore tack and sheet I
At this command the men jump to their stations, the
fore tack and sheet are manned, one hand being by each
clew-garnet, and the buntlines and leechlines let go.
Lay down on the fore yard and overhaul the rigging!
At this command, one or two of the topmen lay down,
and overhaul, through their blocks, the buntlines and leech-
lines.
If the weather is moderate, as soon as the officer of the
deck sees that the men are at the stations, he commands —
Clear away the rigging ! Haul aboard 1
At this the clew-garnets are. let go, the tack hauled for-
ward, and the sheet aft.
rriie ^fainsail is «et in the same manner, substi-
tuting main for fore; and to get the tack close down, it is
advisable, if the yard is braced sharp up, to ease off the
lee main brace,* and overhaul the weather clew-garnet,
weather main-topsail clewline and main lift. After the
tack is down, brace up the yard, haul taut the lift ; reeve
and haul the bowline.
When the yards are square, and the wind directly aft,
the mainsail is never set, but is hauled up snugly ; with the
wind quartering, the lee clew may be set to great advan-
tage. To do so, Man the main sheet! Overhaul the main
buntlines and leechlines ! When ready :
Ease down the lee clew-garnet ! Haul apt !
The weather clew is kept fast.
* Not applicable to the fore, as the brace has more of a horizontal lead.
IfAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 303
To set the Foresail toefore the ypvin^^
Man both fore sheets !
The rigging being let go and overhauled as before^
command —
Down foresail ! As the' sail comes down, take through
the slack of the tacks ; haul taut both lifts, haul through
the slack of the sheets.
To set the Courses (by the wind), command —
Man the fore and main tacks ana sheets I
Lay dovm on the lower yards to overhaul the rigging!
When the gear is reported all manned —
Haul taut I Clear away the rigging ! Haul aboabd I
To take in a Oorurse in modeirate
Tveathei*. If a foresail, command, Man the fore clew-
aamets and huntlines! The clew-garnets and buntlines
oeing manned, men stationed at the tack, sheet, and bow-
line, conmiand —
Haul taut ! Up foresail J
The tack, sheet, and bowline, are let go, the clews of the
sail are run up by the clew-garnets, the body by the bm\t-
lines ; man the leechlines and haul the leeches to the yard.
In a ii*esh lii^eeze, or gale of wind, it is neces-
sary, in order to avoid shaking or flapping the sail, which
may split it, to proceed thus : If you wish to set a course,
the yard being braced up, everything being manned,
conunand —
Ease down the lee cletv-gamet ! Haul aft I
Then when the clew is sufficiently aft to fill the sail —
Ease down the weather cletv-gamet ! Haul aboard I
To take it in, under similar circumstances, the men being
stationed, command, Ease off the fore-tack and bowline !
Haul up to windward I Then, Ease off the sheet I Haul
UP TO LBEWARD ! Having the buntlines well manned, run
them up the moment the sheet is started ; the lee clew being
the first set, and the last taken in, steadies the sail during
the operation.*
Setting the mainsail when bracing up, it is better to get
the tack down before the lee brace is near the sharp-ap
mark.
On setting courses by the wind, before hauling aboard,
check the lee braces, for the bunt of the sails may nip or be
jammed between the yard and the stay, and at all events,
the main tack will come down better.
nropH£Lili>3 are the first sail set in getting under way,
when cruising under sail, and the last taken m, in coming
to anchor, except the spanker. At sea they remain con-
stantly set, are reduced by reefing, in fresh winds, but
never taken in except in gales of wind, or for the purpose
* In taking in a course, blowing fresh, haal taut the lee lift before starting
tfaatMk.
304 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL.
of repairing or unbending. The mizzen topsail is an excep-
tion, inasmuch as it is often settled down on the cap or
furled, when sailing with the wind directly aft. and oiten
taken in in heavy weather, when the fore and main are
close reefed.
rFo set a. rropsa.il. The yard being square and
on the cap, command —
Stand by to lay alofty sail-loosers of the fore {main or
mizzen) top-sail! Lay aloft 1 When the men are aloft,
Lay out and loose !
The top-gallant studding-sail booms need not be triced
up. The men lay out on the yard, and loose the sail by
casting oflf the gaskets. While doing which —
Man the topsail sheets and halliards f Tend the braces!
The clew lines are tended and buntlines let go, and over-
hauled aloft, the gaskets cast off, the bunt- jigger unhooked,
and the men on the yard holding up the san oy hand, it is
reported ready. The sheets being well manned, the com-
mand is given, Stand by! Let fall ! Sheet home ! Lay
in ! Lay down from aloft ! The clews of the sail are
hauled out to the lower yard-arms by the sheets, until the
foot of the sail is taut, hands easing away the clewlines as
the sheets go home. * Meanwhile :
Hoist away the topsail I
The yard is hoisted by the halliards, until the leeches of
the sail are taut, keeping the topsail reef tackles, topgallant
sheets and studding sau tacks, and the topsa^ clewlines
and topmast studding sail halliards well overhauled.
HTo take in a. rFopsail, as in coming to anchor.
Man the topsail clew-jiggers and buntlines! Weather braces!
At this conunand, the clew-jiggers and buntlines are
manned; hands stationed by the sheets, halliards, bowlines,
and braces; the latter for the purpose of squaring the yards
if braced up ; have a hand on each lower yard-arm to render
the sheets through their sheaves; command, Clear away
the topsail sheets, Clew up ! The clews are hauled up by
the clew-jiggers, and the body by the buntlines ; when the
sail is up, and the weather brac^es manned, Settle away the
topsail halliards ! Square away i The yard is now lowered
on the cap and squared in at the same time, the buntlines
and clew-iiggers are kept some distance above the yard.
To Set a CloHe-H^eeied Topsail. Brace
up the topsail vard sufficiently, and the lower yard more
than the topsail yard. Haul taut the lee topsail brace, then
having loosed and let fall, Man the topsail sheets ! Attend
the gear, let go and overhaul the buntlines, Ea^e down the
lee clewline, haul home the lee sheet ! keeping the vessel
* In setting the light sails, the men are ordered in before sheeting; home, to
avoid accidents dae to the motion of the yards, which have considerable play.
In heavy weather, or whenever ther« are men on tlie lower yards, it would
be well to observe the same rule in slieeting home the topsails.
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 305
oflf if necessary; then, Ease down the weather clewline!
Haul home the weather sheet! Man the halliards and
sway the yard clear of the cap. Trim the yards, haul
taut the weather-brace and haul the bowline.*
To HTake in a Topsail in a Grale. Say the
fore : Man the fore-topsail clewlines and buntlines, weather
fore-topsail brace I The weather clewline is manned best ;
nands oy the lee brace, sheets, and halliards ; when ready,
keep the ship off a point, ease off a fathom of the lee sheet.
Settle away the halliards I Brace in and clew down ! Ease
away the weather sheet! Clew up to windward ! The
weather clewline and both buntlines are run up ; Ease away
the lee sheet ! Clew up to leeward 1 The weather brace
is hauled in when the yard is clewed down. Point the yard
to the wind, steady it well, and furl the sail.
To take in a close-reefed topsail with the wind abaft the
beamy haul up the lee clewline first ; brace the yard in by
the weather brace until it is pointed to the wind, if possible,
before laying out to furl.
In taking it in before the wind, with the watch, haul up
one clew at a time, hauling up both buntlines as before ;
brace the yard sharp up and shiver the sail ; then lay out
and furl it.
In furling a sail in a gale, secure the yard well before
sending the men out : and when out, render them all the
assistancepoBsible witn the helm.
To Talie in and Filial tlie IMizzen Top-
sail in a Grale. Man the mizzen-topsail clewlines and
buntlines^ lee mizzen topsail brace! Hands by the sheets
and halhards, weather brace and bowline. When ready.
Settle away the halliards ! Clew down ! Hauling in on
the lee brace ; Ease away the sheets ! Clew up ! Tne yard
is pointed to the wind, and the gear hauled close up ; Lay
aloft all the mizzen topmen !
Lay out and Furl the mizzen topsail !
l^onble TopnailH. To set the upper topsail,
when the clews shackle to the lower topsail yard. Loose
the sail, tend the braces, and hoist the yard till the leeches
are taut.
When the upper topsail is fitted with short sheets, sheet
home before hoisting. The upper topsail is often set first
in getting under way.
To take in the upper topsail, lower the yard, haul up the
buntlines, and furl the sail.
To set the 
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